Cozy Creek

by K M Morgan

  “I wanted to get an update from you,” Dylan said.

  “You could have gotten one over the phone.”

  “A phone call isn’t the same. Especially given a situation like this.”

  Dylan was so sweet. That was one of the things that drew Chloe to him. He had such a kind soul.

  “I have to admit, I’m glad you stuck around. It’s really good to see you,” Chloe said.

  “Are you saying that because you love me, or because you’ve had a terrible night?” Dylan replied.

  “Honestly, it’s a little bit of both.”

  “Does that mean you have bad news to share with me?”

  “Jennifer is still in jail, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “What did the detective have to say?”

  “Here’s where things get really sticky. If I’m going to prove that Jennifer is innocent, I’m going to have to do it alone.”

  “Why? Is the detective refusing to give you any help?”

  “It’s worse than that. He actually believes that Jennifer is guilty.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know. This has the makings of a brutal investigation.”

  “Are you going to head back out?”

  “Not tonight. I need my sleep.”

  “Should I head home then?”

  “Probably. But before you go, can I ask one small favor?”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “Can you give me a quick shoulder rub? My muscles are incredibly tense.”

  “I’ll see if I can loosen them up.”

  “Knowing you, you’ll probably be able to work wonders.”

  “I’m always happy to help out.”

  “I know. That’s what makes you so special.”

  “Chloe, if anyone in this relationship is special, it’s you. How many other people would be willing to put their safety on the line to get their friend out of a jam like this?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Not many.”

  “The question becomes, will I be successful?”

  “I’m sure you will.”

  “I’m glad you’re confident. I can’t say that I am.”

  “I know you. When you set your mind on something, you don’t stop until you make it happen.”

  Chapter Five

  When Chloe did finally go to bed, it took her less than five minutes to crash out. That was fine with her. Tossing and turning in bed was incredibly overrated.

  Chloe ended up sleeping like a rock. Before she knew it, morning had arrived. Much to her surprise, she actually slept in a little. That was a real change of pace for her.

  She would have gotten even more sleep but the sound of her phone ringing woke her up. She reached over to her nightstand and checked the caller identification screen on her phone. Part of her wished that the call would be coming from Detective Thicke. Maybe he had come to his senses and freed Jennifer. Chloe knew that was wishful thinking, but a woman could dream, couldn’t she?

  Ultimately, the call wasn’t coming from the detective. Nor was it coming from her boyfriend. Instead, Chloe’s mother, Amanda Cook, was phoning her.

  In Chloe’s mind, it seemed a little early to be hearing from her mom. Was some sort of emergency taking place? Chloe certainly hoped not. There was enough going on already.

  Chloe answered the phone. “Hello.”

  “Honey, where are you?” Amanda asked.

  “I’m in bed. Why?”

  “Did you forget about the breakfast that we scheduled?”

  Chloe’s eyes widened. “Was that this morning?”

  “It sure was. Your father, your grandmother, and I are waiting for you at the restaurant right now.”

  “Wait a minute. What time is it?”

  “A little bit after nine.”

  “Nine? Really? That’s later than I thought.”

  “Honey, are you all right?”

  “Not really.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Chloe gave her mother a quick rundown of everything that had taken place. As expected, Amanda completely freaked out.

  “Another murder? I can’t believe it. When are things going to quiet down around here?” Amanda asked.

  “I wish I had an answer for you. Clearly, not today,” Chloe said.

  “This is so horrible. You know I don’t like it when you conduct these investigations.”

  “Mom, I don’t have much choice in the matter.”

  “That’s not true. You always have a choice.”

  “Jennifer is in jail. Right now, I’m her only hope. What would you do if one of your friends was wrongfully imprisoned?”

  Amanda took a deep breath and replied, “I would want to help them too.”

  “Exactly.”

  “At the same time, you have to understand something. As your mother, I can’t help but be worried about you. What if something happens to you?”

  “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”

  “You’d better believe that I’m going to do some serious praying after I get off the phone with you.”

  “Good.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can be reckless. You need to take care of yourself.”

  “I’m going to be as cautious as possible.”

  “You mean, as cautious as you can be when you’re chasing down a killer.”

  “Look. I understand that this isn’t easy for you to stomach, but it’s happening.”

  “Trust me. I realize that. You’re the most stubborn person I know. I’m just not sure where you get that from. It’s definitely not from my side of the family.”

  “Mom, I don’t really have time to go through our family tree to decode who I got that personality trait from.”

  “Right. Of course. How about breakfast, though?”

  “I’m afraid that I’m going to have to skip our little get together.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I have a killer to find.”

  “True. But is it really a good idea to go sleuthing on an empty stomach?”

  “I’ll grab something quick from the kitchen on the way out.”

  “Okay. That’s your call.”

  “We’ll all go out for breakfast some other time.”

  “Don’t worry about that. We can always reschedule.”

  “Thanks for understanding.

  “I just want you to be safe and get through this in one piece.”

  “I’ll do my best. In the meantime, send my love to dad and grandma,” Chloe said.

  “I will,” Amanda replied.

  Chapter Six

  As Chloe set out to begin her investigation, there was no denying that the pressure was on her. This wasn’t just about finding a killer. It was also about proving her friend’s innocence. Jennifer’s freedom was entirely in Chloe’s hands. That was a heavy weight for Chloe to have to carry on her shoulders. She hated not having Detective Thicke’s help. They worked so well together as a team. She had also grown accustomed to having him by her side during a case.

  Chloe knew that going it alone would be rough. At the same time, she was going to try her best not to let all of that get to her. Even so, she knew that trying and succeeding were two very different things. Right then, one thing was clear.

  Chloe’s investigative skills were about to be put to the test. Would she be up to the challenge? She was about to find out.

  ***

  Chloe’s first stop was the scene of the crime. Even though the police had been thorough and that the forensics team had done a complete sweep of the area, Chloe still wanted to take a look at things for herself. She knew the odds were long of her stumbling upon a new piece of evidence. Especially since she didn’t have access to the inside of the house. That said, perhaps something outside would catch her eye. She had to give it a try. She needed all of the help that she could get. At that point, she would be happy with any lead that the universe was willing to throw her way. It didn’t matter how small it was.

  Besides, it always h
elped her to look at a crime scene with her own eyes. By being there in person, it was easier for her to visualize what happened.

  When Chloe arrived at Mentone Road, a surprising sight was waiting for her. A woman was standing at the bottom of Richard’s driveway, directly in front of a string of yellow police tape that was cordoning off the area.

  At first, Chloe wondered if it was one of Richard’s neighbors. That would make sense. If a crime like this had taken place in Chloe’s neighborhood, it would have drawn a bunch of interest from onlookers. So, why would things be any different on Richard’s street?

  Chloe parked her car and approached the woman. She wanted to have some words with the brunette. Maybe this woman had seen something peculiar last night. Or perhaps she had heard some gossip.

  As Chloe got closer to the brunette, she quickly realized that the woman wasn’t a resident of Richard’s street after all. Chloe actually recognized this full-figured forty-one-year-old. Her name was Danielle Manchester. She was a suspect in this case.

  Jennifer had warned Chloe about Danielle. With good reason. Danielle had quite a history with Richard. The two of them had been friends for a long time. But recently, they had become more than just that. Much to Jennifer’s chagrin, Danielle was the woman that Richard had been cheating with. When Jennifer found out about what Richard was doing, Richard told her that he would never sleep with Danielle again. Richard insisted that he would be faithful from that point on. Which lead to the question, how did Danielle react to that news? Chloe was interested in finding out.

  In the meantime, having Danielle show up at the scene of the crime was an unexpected wrinkle in this case.

  It was a shame that Chloe didn’t see Danielle’s face until she had already gotten out of her car and started approaching. She would have liked some preparation time. That wasn’t going to happen now.

  In fact, this conversation was poised to take on a whole new light. For example, if Chloe was about to chat with a random resident of Richard’s street, the discussion could be a lot more casual. Since Chloe would be talking to a murder suspect, she would have to be at the top of her game. There was no guarantee that she would get a second shot at this. She had to make the most of this opportunity.

  In addition, there was one more thing to take into account. It was incredibly peculiar to see a suspect show up at the crime scene like this. To Chloe, that was a big red flag. What was Danielle doing here? What possible explanation could she have? Chloe was curious to hear what she had to say for herself.

  Chloe wasn’t about to go straight at Danielle, however. There was a time and a place for hardball questions. Right then, Chloe’s gut was telling her to start out small.

  “It’s terrible what happened, isn’t it?” Chloe said.

  Danielle had been so caught up looking at Richard’s house that she didn’t notice Chloe’s presence until right then.

  Danielle took a deep breath and gave Chloe a solemn look.

  “It is. It’s absolutely devastating,” Danielle replied.

  “I can’t believe he’s really gone,” Chloe said.

  “Don’t remind me,” Danielle said. “How did you know him?”

  “I mostly knew him through his girlfriend.”

  “You’re friends with Jennifer then?”

  Chloe nodded. “How about you? How did you know Richard?”

  “We were old friends.”

  “This must be particularly hard for you.”

  Danielle grimaced. “It definitely isn’t easy.”

  “You have my sympathy.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So, what are you doing here?”

  Chloe had a feeling about what Danielle’s reply would be. Most suspects would just pretend like they had shown up in front of Richard’s house to pay their respects. It was definitely the safest answer. It was also nearly impossible to dispute.

  Surprisingly, Danielle had a different response. “This might sound weird, but I’m looking for clues.”

  Chloe squinted. “I’m sorry. Did I hear that correctly?”

  Danielle nodded. “You did. I’ve decided to do some investigative work on this case.”

  “That’s interesting. Do you not have much faith in the local police department?”

  “Make no mistake. I really respect the police. And I know they work really hard. But they don’t always get things right. With a case like this that involves my old friend, it would be tragic if the police got things wrong.”

  “I agree.”

  Danielle’s nose scrunched. “You do?”

  “Absolutely. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly why I’m here,” Chloe said.

  Danielle’s face filled with confusion. “I’m sorry. I’m not following you.”

  “Danielle, you’re not the only person who is here to do some investigating,” Chloe said.

  “Wait a minute. How do you know my name?”

  “Like I just said, I’m working on this case.”

  Danielle’s eyes widened. “Are you with the police? Because I didn’t mean to insult you.”

  Chloe put her hand up. “I’m not officially with the police. But I have consulted with the department on a number of cases in the past.”

  “I’m sorry. What’s your name?”

  “I’m Chloe Cook.”

  Danielle’s eyebrows rose. “I think I’ve read about you. Did the local paper do a story on you a few months ago?”

  Chloe nodded. “They did.”

  “You know, it might actually be a good thing that we ran into each other like this.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “Since we’re both doing our own independent investigations, we should work together.”

  For a second, Chloe couldn’t believe her ears. Had she really heard that right? Did Danielle truly suggest that they team up?

  Was Danielle in such denial that she didn’t realize she was a suspect in this case? Or was she keenly aware of the cloud of suspicion that hung over her head? Perhaps this so-called investigation of hers was all a ruse.

  Chloe’s initial instinct was to say no. To get straight into the hardball questions.

  Then an idea came to Chloe. What if she played along? At least, for a little while. Danielle knew all of the other suspects. There was a chance that having Danielle at her side could be beneficial for getting information.

  On the flip side, there was also a chance that a pairing like this could really blow up in Chloe’s face. There were some obvious risks involved. Were there enough potential rewards?

  Chloe was willing to give this unique partnership a try. She was definitely going to keep a close eye on Danielle. The minute things looked like they were about to go off of the rails, Chloe would go into self-preservation mode.

  “Sure. We can work together,” Chloe said.

  “Great. I think that’s a really smart call. This way, we can compare information. Besides, two heads are definitely better than one,” Danielle replied.

  “I guess we’ll find out soon enough how true that saying is.”

  “I think this is going to work out really well.”

  “The only thing that matters is finding the killer.”

  “Speaking of which, we should get to work.”

  Chapter Seven

  The first thing that Chloe and Danielle did was to take a good look at Richard’s yard. It was a real shame that Chloe didn’t have access to the inside of the house. She wasn’t about to go beyond the yellow police tape. And she certainly wasn’t about to break into Richard’s house to search for a piece of evidence that may or may not exist.

  In addition to looking at Richard’s yard, Chloe also did a quick visual scan of the neighborhood. She wanted to see if any of the victim’s neighbors had security cameras. Or doorbell cameras. Unfortunately, they did not appear to.

  From there, the next logical step was to begin interviewing suspects. That was when things got awkward.

  “I know she’s your friend, but we should probab
ly go over to Jennifer’s place and talk to her,” Danielle said.

  Apparently, Danielle didn’t know that Jennifer was currently in jail. That was a nice break for Chloe. But Chloe wasn’t out of the woods yet. She still had to pull off some verbal gymnastics.

  “I already spoke with her,” Chloe said.

  “And?”

  “She has an alibi for the time of the murder.”

  “All right. I guess we can cross her off of the suspect list then.”

  Chloe nodded. “We certainly can.” She switched gears. “Who is next on the list?”

  “Follow me. We’ll talk about it in the car.” Danielle began walking toward her vehicle.

  Chloe’s muscles immediately tensed up. There was no way she was getting into Danielle’s car. So many things could go wrong. Chloe’s top priority was watching her back. She couldn’t do that if Danielle was driving.

  Of course, Chloe couldn’t just come out and say that. It could set Danielle off. Or, at the very least, make Danielle suspicious of Chloe’s intentions. Chloe had to find a different way to tackle this situation.

  “Actually, I’d rather drive,” Chloe said.

  “Why?” Danielle asked.

  Chloe had to think of a reason on the fly. Thankfully, an idea came to her.

  “I get motion sickness if I ride in the passenger seat,” Chloe said.

  “Oh. Well, I wouldn’t want you getting sick. Especially in my car.”

  “Trust me, the last thing I want right now is to get sick.”

  “I agree. You need to be at the top of your game. After all, we have a killer to track down.”

  Go figure. Danielle completely bought Chloe’s lie. Chloe felt incredibly relieved as she walked toward her car. At the same time, she had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last lie that she would tell that day.

  ***

  As Chloe got into her car, she almost couldn’t believe the situation that she was in. Sitting next to a murder suspect was the sort of thing that she never believed she would experience. After all, despite all of the sleuthing that she had done in the past, she was a makeup saleswoman by trade. Right then, the simple days of going out on sales calls seemed so quaint to her. It would be so great if she could go back to that kind of a life again.