Not surprisingly, ten minutes later, I found myself sitting down at a table inside Mitchell’s Bakery, slowly savoring a muffin.
Did I look foolish, eating a chocolate chip muffin while wearing workout clothes?
Probably.
Did I care?
Nope.
Not in the least. So much for torching calories. All the hard work I had done during the fitness class had been erased in the time it took me to finish my muffin.
Oh well.
There was another class tomorrow. In the meantime, I took the last bite of my muffin and loved it.
After that, I headed toward the exit. It was important to leave Mitchell’s as quickly as possible. If I stayed in the bakery any longer, I would surely order a second muffin. While it would certainly be delicious, it wouldn’t do my waistline any favors.
I scurried out of the bakery and began walking to my car. That was when I spotted something that caught my attention. It was a rack of clothing that had been rolled out onto the sidewalk. That meant one thing—a sale was taking place.
And what a sweet distraction it was. After all, I was a sucker for a good discount. In addition, spotting this rack of clothing was rather fortuitous for another reason. I needed some new clothes. Not just in the sense that a woman could never have too many cute outfits.
This desire to shop had everything to do with my pregnancy. In a few months, I wouldn’t be able to fit into any of my old clothes. So, in a way, I was actually doing myself a favor by checking out this sale rack. If I was lucky, I’d be able to pick up a number of items right then at a steep discount and save some serious cash.
As I walked over to the rack, I realized the clothes weren’t just on sale. They were on clearance.
Score.
Talk about a steal. Clearance was the sweetest word in a shopper’s vocabulary. I began looking at the various items and found a few that would be a good fit for me.
Before I was able to finish picking out my favorites, my attention was drawn elsewhere. That was especially surprising, since there were very few things that could distract a woman from shopping.
The sight of two murder suspects kissing was the rare exception.
My eyes bulged as I stared at Max Tolliver and Natalie Kimmel lip-locking in a green sedan that was parked in front of Treasure Cove Pharmacy. As I watched them kiss, I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
When David gave me a rundown of the suspects yesterday, he didn’t tell me that Max and Natalie were a couple. Perhaps that was because he didn’t know. If that was the case, I had to notify him immediately. This could be a huge revelation for him. It was definitely worth following up on.
As I reached into my purse and grabbed my phone, Max and Natalie finished kissing. Before I dialed David’s number, I wanted to see what the couple would do next.
It didn’t take long to find out.
Natalie got out of the car and headed into the pharmacy. Meanwhile, Max remained in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and fiddled with his car stereo.
With that, I looked down at my cell phone again. I frantically dialed David’s number, realizing there was no time to waste. There was no telling how long Natalie would be inside the pharmacy. It could be one minute or it could be ten.
I prayed that David would answer his right away. Unfortunately, that did not prove to be the case. He actually didn’t pick up the phone at all. After three rings, my call went to voice mail.
I left him a quick message, explaining to him what I had just seen.
For good measure, I also sent him a text, detailing the same information.
After that, the waiting game began.
***
As I stood on the sidewalk, patience was in short supply. With good reason. Sooner or later, Natalie was going to come out of that pharmacy and get back into Max’s car. Once they drove away, there was no telling where they would head next.
What if they tried to leave town? I didn’t want to think about that, but I couldn’t pretend that it wasn’t a possibility. I stared at my phone, wishing that David would call me back.
When my phone didn’t ring, a dangerous thought slipped into my mind. After having worked on so many cases in the past, my natural impulse was to approach Max. Even if to stall him for a few minutes. That would buy some time for David to get my message and drive over here.
At the same time, it would put me directly in harm’s way. Deep down, I knew that walking over to that car was too risky. So many things could go wrong. Not only would I be putting my own life in jeopardy, but also that of my unborn baby. For that reason, I hung back and stayed out of the fray.
My prudence did come with one significant drawback, however. The more seconds that ticked by, the greater the chance that Max and Natalie would get away. With a situation like this, timing was crucial.
My pulse began to race as my anxiety level ramped up. It was so excruciating, standing off to the side, watching this lead slip away.
Just as my stress level spiked, I heard my phone ring.
When I looked at the caller identification screen, I saw that it was David.
A sense of relief washed over me as I answered the phone.
“David, please tell me you are close by,” I said.
“I’m about nine blocks away,” David said.
“Put the pedal to the metal. Natalie might be coming out of the pharmacy at any moment.”
“I’m flooring it over there,” David said.
“Good.”
“In the meantime, don’t do anything rash.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Too late—”
I interrupted him. “Honey, I already gave you my word that I wouldn’t put myself in harm’s way.”
“I know. I just wanted to remind you what you promised me.”
“I assure you. I am completely safe. And I’m going to stay that way.”
“What a relief.”
“Enough about me, though. What about Max and Natalie? Did you know they were a couple?”
“No.”
“I wonder why they kept that information from you.”
“I’m not sure. But I’m going to find out,” David said.
Chapter Fifteen
Luckily, in a town as small as Treasure Cove, it took David less than two minutes to arrive at the pharmacy. When my husband pulled up in front of the building, he intentionally parked his car behind Max’s so the suspect would be blocked from leaving. Not surprisingly, that move drew some ire from Max, who got out of his vehicle in a huff.
The brown-haired, trim-bodied forty-one-year-old began yelling at David. Unfortunately, I was too far away to hear the specifics of what was being said. Although, Max’s body language made it pretty clear that he was ready to blow his top.
All the bluster in the world wasn’t going to intimidate David. My husband stood his ground, as he always did when speaking with a murder suspect. He even managed to keep an even keel when Natalie came out of the pharmacy and had a freak-out of her own.
Natalie’s face got as red as her auburn-colored hair as she spoke with him. The full-figured thirty-nine-year-old really gave David a piece of her mind.
Just like with Max, however, David didn’t yield any ground. Then again, neither did Max or Natalie.
Eventually, they stopped yelling.
But they didn’t exactly make things easy for David either.
While I watched things unfold from afar, I kept waiting for David to pull out his handcuffs. He never did, though. Instead, a few minutes after their conversation began, David surprisingly let Max and Natalie go.
They weren’t free to drive around town without supervision, however. Before David moved his car, he placed a call on his police radio. A deputy arrived on the scene a short time later. From that point forward, the deputy would be following Max and Natalie everywhere they went, keeping close tabs on their activity.
***
After taking a moment to decompress, David walked over to m
e to discuss what had just transpired. Not surprisingly, my husband was far from cheery. I sensed a rant coming. Before he began venting his frustration, I attempted to lighten the mood a little.
“You look like you could use a pastry,” I said.
“Honestly, I could eat an entire pastry case right now,” he said.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
“No. But my waistline would. Which is why I’m not going to go crazy and eat a bunch of pastries.”
“Does that mean you’re not even going to have one?”
“That’s the plan.”
“I admire your will power.”
“How about you? What’s your will power like these days?”
I held my pointer finger up. “You know what? I think there are much more important things that we should be talking about right now.”
He put his hands on his hips. “How many muffins did you have this morning?”
“Just one.”
He stared deep into my eyes. “You were thinking of getting another, weren’t you?”
I broke eye contact and looked at the pharmacy. “I can’t believe we’ve been talking this long without you telling me what happened with Max and Natalie.”
David laughed. “Look at you, trying to change the subject on me.”
“With good reason,” I said. “I can’t believe Max and Natalie are dating.”
“I certainly didn’t see that coming.”
“What did they have to say for themselves?”
“Nothing terribly useful.”
My eyebrows knitted. “That’s surprising.”
“They tried to downplay the importance of them being a couple.”
“Nice try. But if they really thought it wasn’t important, then why didn’t they disclose their relationship when you talked to them the first time around?”
“That’s a good question.”
“What was their answer?”
“That they didn’t even think it was worth mentioning.”
“How dumb do they think you are?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll say this, though. They aren’t as clever or as sneaky as they seem to believe. I certainly don’t buy their story.”
“How about the rest of the conversation? Did you manage to get any useful information out of them?”
He shook his head. “Unfortunately not. Instead, they just gave me a whole bunch of attitude.”
“That’s a shame.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised. None of the suspects have been terribly cooperative with me.”
“I meant, it’s a shame that you weren’t able to get a break in the case. I was really hoping that your conversation with them would lead to an arrest.”
“Don’t lose hope. With the deputy keeping tabs on them, there’s no telling what he might spot them doing in the future.”
I nodded. “True. We could end up catching a lucky break.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it. After all, luck already seems to be on your side.”
I squinted. “How do you figure?”
“You spotting them together in the first place was a twist of luck. I mean, what were the odds that you’d just be randomly out on the town and happen to spot them?”
“Actually, we have my stomach to thank for that. If I hadn’t gotten a craving for baked goods, Max and Natalie’s relationship might have stayed a secret.”
“In that case, I’m happy you couldn’t resist your sweet tooth.”
I looked at the entrance to Mitchell’s Bakery. “Speaking of, I could go for another muffin.”
“I wouldn’t push your luck.”
I gazed at Mitchell’s longingly, and then looked away. “I suppose you’re right.” I let out a sigh. “So, what now?”
“I think you should head home.”
“And you?”
“I’m going to try and chase down some more leads,” he said.
“Good luck,” I said.
Chapter Sixteen
Apparently, luck was in short supply that afternoon. Despite his best efforts, David wasn’t able to chase down any new leads. By the time nightfall broke, David left the police station feeling as frustrated as ever. Of course, an empty stomach wasn’t helping matters any.
While I was more than happy to cook him a meal at home, David was craving a burger and fries from Zelda’s Diner. That sounded good to me. Zelda’s was one of my favorite places in town. Not only was the food good, but the prices were cheap. That was a killer combination.
After David swung by our house to pick me up, we headed over to Zelda’s with great anticipation. When we arrived, however, it became clear that food would have to wait. In a strange twist of fate, just as we were arriving at the diner, Benjamin’s ex-girlfriend, Linda Kingston, was leaving.
While David was eager to speak with Linda, the blond thirty-seven-year-old looked like she wanted to slip away without saying a single word to my husband.
That wasn’t going to happen. David approached the oval-faced, voluptuous woman and addressed her in a deadpan manner.
“Funny running into you,” David said.
Linda wasn’t in a joking mood. Instead, there was a scowl on her face as she replied, “There’s nothing funny about this situation.”
David’s eyes widened. He clearly didn’t expect Linda to take such a hostile tone with him.
“Why don’t you calm down?” he asked.
“I have a better idea,” Linda said. “Why don’t you get out of my way?”
David stared her down. “I’d watch that tone if I were you.”
Linda didn’t heed David’s warning. “You have a lot of nerve.”
“Are you even listening to me?” he asked. “I just told you to watch your tone.”
“I heard you. But right now, there are more important matters on my mind. For example, how did you know I was here?” Her eyes bulged. “Have you been following me?”
David shook his head. “No.”
Linda folded her arms. “Do you really expect me to believe that?”
“Zelda’s is a really popular restaurant.”
She gave him a wary look. “Uh-huh. And you just happened to have picked this exact time to come here? Right when I’m leaving?”
He nodded.
“I find that hard to believe,” Linda said.
“You’re focusing on the wrong thing.”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t disagree more.”
“Linda, I wasn’t following you,” David said. “But just say I had been. Why do you even care? Unless you’re doing something you shouldn’t be.”
“That isn’t the case.”
“Then what’s the big deal?”
“I just value my right to privacy,” Linda said.
He scoffed. “What right to privacy? A restaurant parking lot is a public place. And you’re a murder suspect—”
She interrupted him. “Don’t call me that.”
“Why? Does it cut too close to the bone?”
Linda threw her arms out. “Why don’t you just leave me alone?”
“You can be as evasive as you want, but it won’t do you any good. I want an answer to my question.”
“I answered all your questions earlier,” she said. “Whether you believe it or not, I had nothing to do with Benjamin’s murder. Now, I’m out of here.”
“Hold on a second—”
“Why? So you can browbeat me some more?” she snapped.
Instead of raising his voice volume, David kept an even keel as he replied, “Calm down.”
“Why should I?” she asked. “I have every right to be angry.”
“And what? I don’t? I’m just trying to do my job here.”
She shook her head. “No. Your job is to catch Benjamin’s killer. Which makes me wonder why you’re wasting your time hassling me.”
“Because I’m not nearly as convinced of your innocence as you are.”
She groaned. “What do I have to do to get you o
ff of my back?”
“It would be nice if you had a rock-solid alibi for the time of the murder. Unfortunately, you don’t have one. What you do have, though, is a killer motive.”
“I wouldn’t call it killer.”
“You can call it whatever you want. The fact is, after the way Benjamin dumped you the other day, you had plenty of reason to want to him dead.”
“I disagree.”
“Linda. Revenge is the oldest motive in the book.”
She grimaced. “Stop talking like that. I can’t handle this conversation anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Do you know what it’s like, being questioned by a detective?” she asked. “To tell the truth, only to be treated like a criminal?”
“Thankfully, I’ve never experienced that,” David said.
“Well, let me tell you. It’s maddening. Not to mention horrifying. It makes me want to cry, thinking about how I could go to jail for a crime I didn’t commit.”
“Look. If you really are innocent, then I’m sorry for putting you through all this. As it stands right now, though, I have no choice but to suspect you.”
Linda’s mood swung wildly again. She went from being on the verge of tears to lashing out at David. “This is outrageous.”
He put his hands up. “I’m going to tell you one more time. Calm down.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“I have to say, if you want me to believe that you’re innocent, this isn’t the way to do it.”
“Detective, why can’t you get this through your thick skull? I loved Benjamin. The last thing I would ever do was kill him.”
“Your argument isn’t nearly as convincing as you seem to think,” David said. “You’d be surprised what happens sometimes when love turns sour.”
She gritted her teeth. “Stop trying to twist things around.”
“I’m being completely honest with you. I can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve seen a jilted ex try to get revenge.”
“That isn’t the case this time.”
He stared her down. “So you say.”
Linda began to walk away in disgust. “That’s it. I’m out of here.”
Daley Buzz Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 113
