Cozy Creek

by K M Morgan

  Perhaps after this case was wrapped up, she could do just that. In the meantime, Chloe needed to keep her guard up. She had no idea what to expect from Danielle. That unpredictability was really unsettling.

  Of course, there was a chance that Danielle would play an integral role in solving this case. Perhaps her involvement was the key to breaking this investigation wide open. Only time would tell. One thing was for certain. Chloe was glad that she always kept a can of pepper spray in her purse. There was no telling if she might need it.

  For a brief moment, Chloe wondered if she had an awkward and silent car ride ahead of her. As Danielle opened her mouth, Chloe quickly realized that the opposite was the case. She actually had an interesting conversation ahead of her.

  “I just can’t get over what happened to Richard. This is like something out of a nightmare,” Danielle said.

  Chloe nodded. “Yeah. Something like this really sticks with you. It can even haunt you, if you’re not careful.”

  “I don’t doubt that. I’m pretty sure that my life will never be quite the same again.”

  “Perhaps you’re right,” Chloe said. “There’s one thing that I know for a fact, though.”

  Danielle shrugged. “What’s that?”

  “You definitely won’t be able to settle your nerves until the killer is in custody. It’s an awful feeling knowing that there’s a killer out there on the loose, walking free.”

  “When you put it like that, it is a really chilling thought.”

  “Which is all the more reason to find the person responsible for this. Sooner rather than later.”

  “I agree.”

  It wasn’t going to be easy, but Chloe was determined to try and get some information out of Danielle. Chloe was particularly interested in hearing about Danielle’s whereabouts during the time of the murder. Normally, Chloe would just ask a suspect if they had a verifiable alibi. Chloe wasn’t about to do that with Danielle.

  After all, they were supposed to be working together. Chloe didn’t want to let on that she viewed Danielle as a suspect. Especially not when they were sitting in a moving car. What if Danielle blew her top? That could spell disaster for Chloe. In addition, it would mean Chloe wouldn’t be able to get a single additional shred of information out of Danielle.

  Chloe would have to be smart about this.

  “You know, during times like this, I can’t help but think about how quickly life can change. Last night, I was sitting on my couch with my boyfriend, laughing as I watched a good sitcom. Now look at me, diving into a murder investigation,” Chloe said.

  “That is a wild change,” Danielle replied.

  “How about you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What were you doing last night?”

  “I took a nice long bath.”

  “That sounds really relaxing.”

  “It was. And I have a feeling that I’m going to need another relaxing soak in my tub by the time this day is over.”

  “You might be right. Then again, maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  “Speaking of which, I think we should talk to Michael Gilbertson first,” Danielle said.

  “All right. We can do that,” Chloe replied.

  “He lives on Simpson Trail.”

  Chloe began driving in that direction.

  “Just out of curiosity, is there any particular reason why you want to start with Michael?” Chloe asked.

  “It’s hard to explain, but my gut is telling me that a discussion with Michael is a good jumping off point.”

  “Do you have a hunch about him?”

  “Kind of,” Danielle said. “Do you ever have those?”

  “On a good day, yes.”

  “How about on a bad day?”

  “During those times, my gut is annoyingly silent.”

  “I’ve been there before.”

  “Here’s hoping that your gut is correct.”

  Danielle crossed her fingers. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

  Chapter Eight

  When Chloe and Danielle arrived at Michael Gilbertson’s blue Cape Cod-style house, Chloe had all sorts of different thoughts swirling around in her head. She had no clue what to expect from this interview. It could go really well. On the flip side, it could just as easily blow up in her face.

  Chloe grabbed her purse and got ready to exit her car. Before she opened up her door, Danielle reached over and stopped her.

  Chloe’s muscles tensed up as Danielle grabbed her arm.

  What did Danielle want?

  Chloe turned to Danielle.

  “Before we knock on Michael’s door, there’s something I want to ask you,” Danielle said.

  “Okay. Fire away,” Chloe said.

  “Do you mind if I ask him the first few questions?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Feel free to take the lead.”

  “Thanks.”

  Danielle then got out of the car and started making her way toward Michael’s front door.

  Chloe didn’t immediately get out of her car. She wanted to take a quiet moment to herself. Maybe she was just feeling a little jumpy, but a wave of anxiety began to wash over her. Was this little experiment a big mistake? It was too late to back out now.

  A few seconds later, Danielle knocked on Chloe’s window.

  “Are you coming?” Danielle asked.

  “Yes.”

  Chloe got out of her car and walked up to Michael’s house with Danielle.

  ***

  It took a few sets of knocks, but Michael did come to the door eventually. As he opened up the door, Chloe was a little surprised.

  Even though Michael was Richard’s younger brother, they didn’t look anything alike. Richard had been tall and athletic. Meanwhile, Michael was short and pudgy. The thirty-one-year-old had long hair, a round face, and a full beard. He also looked like he had been drinking heavily. The fact that his face was completely red was a dead giveaway.

  Considering how it was only eleven o’clock in the morning, Michael’s alcohol consumption raised a serious red flag. Sure he had lost his brother, but to be intoxicated before noon was quite the dubious achievement.

  Chloe would have preferred it if Michael was sober. It was hard enough interviewing someone under the best of circumstances. With Michael being inebriated, there was no telling how this conversation would go.

  “Danielle. What are you doing here?” Michael asked.

  “We’re here about your brother,” Danielle said.

  “It’s terrible what happened, isn’t it?” Michael replied.

  Danielle nodded. “It sure is.”

  “I got a call from some police detective last night. He broke the news. I’ve been beside myself ever since then,” Michael replied.

  It was customary for law enforcement to notify the next of kin in a case like this. Clearly, Detective Thicke had called Michael before he put Jennifer behind bars.

  Otherwise, the entire complexion of this conversation would be different. Whether Detective Thicke had done it on purpose or not, Chloe wasn’t sure. But she was happy that Thicke had not revealed the news of Jennifer’s arrest to Michael.

  “This entire situation has been really tough for me as well,” Danielle said.

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Michael said.

  “You’re probably going to be grieving for a long time.”

  “I’ll bet. Anyway, thanks for coming over here to check up on me. I’d invite you in, but I think I’m going to head over to O’Doherty’s Pub.”

  Danielle put her hand up. “Actually, we didn’t just come over here to check up on you.”

  “Really?”

  “No.”

  “Why else are you here then?”

  “We’re trying to find out who is responsible for your brother’s death.”

  “That’s the police department’s job.”

  “I know. I’m just not sure that we can trust them
to do that job correctly. They’ve been wrong before.”

  “They better not get this one wrong.”

  “That’s where we come in. There’s a chance that we can crack this case wide open all by ourselves.”

  “When you say we—”

  “I mean me and Chloe here,” Danielle said.

  “I’m Chloe Cook.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Michael said.

  “Seeing as you’re Richard’s brother, we figured that you might be able to help us,” Danielle said.

  Michael shrugged. “How?”

  “Do you have any idea who might have been behind this?” Danielle asked.

  “I don’t know. Do I look like a detective to you?” Michael replied.

  “No. I just thought that you might have some insights,” Danielle said.

  “I don’t.”

  “That’s a shame,” Danielle said. “By the way, when was the last time you talked to Richard?”

  “A few days ago.”

  “You didn’t see him last night then?”

  “I just told you. The last time I spoke to him was a few days ago.”

  “What did you do last night then?”

  “I watched some baseball.”

  “Alone? Or did you have some friends over?”

  “It was just me.” Michael’s nose scrunched. “Wait a minute. What’s with all of these questions?”

  “I’m just curious is all,” Danielle said.

  “Well, knock it off.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I know you and Richard weren’t on the best of terms after he fired you.”

  “Why would you bring that up now?”

  “Because after what happened to your brother, the fact that you two had a falling out shortly before his death arouses suspicion.”

  “Suspicion?”

  “It also doesn’t help that you don’t have a verifiable alibi for the time of the murder.”

  “Hold on a second. Do you think that I might have had something to do with Richard’s death? Because if so, you’re crazy.”

  “Hey, don’t get mad at me.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? You came all the way over to my house to accuse me of murder. You have a lot of nerve.”

  “I haven’t accused you of anything.”

  “Do you think I’m stupid? I heard what you said.”

  “Back off. I’m trying to do you a favor here.”

  “A favor? Have you lost your mind?”

  “If you let me talk, I’ll explain.”

  “Richard’s killer is out there. And the detective is determined to find them. The chances are, he’s going to pay you a visit. While he’s interviewing you, he’ll probably ask you the same questions that I just did. Based on your answers, he’s probably going to be highly suspicious of you.”

  “I still don’t know why you believe that you did me a favor.”

  “If you really had nothing to do with Richard’s death, it’s in your best interest to help us.”

  “I didn’t kill my brother.”

  “Then you should help us find out who did.”

  “I have no clue who was behind this.”

  “Are you telling me that you don’t have any information that can help us?”

  “I have no idea who did this,” Michael said.

  “All right. In that case, I wish you the best of luck when the detective pays you a visit,” Danielle said.

  Chapter Nine

  Chloe and Danielle walked back to the car. Their next stop would be Yarmouth Novelty T-shirt Warehouse. It was going to take about fifteen minutes to get there.

  As Chloe drove, Danielle looked uncomfortable sitting in the passenger seat. She was as agitated as could be.

  “I don’t trust Michael at all,” Danielle said.

  “Why not?” Chloe asked.

  “Didn’t he seem like he was lying to you? Or at least not telling the entire truth?”

  “In my experience, every suspect seems like they are hiding something.”

  “Do they just seem that way, or do you actually find that most suspects aren’t being completely honest?”

  “It’s pretty rare for a suspect to be a hundred-percent honest.”

  “That’s what I figured. In that case, I wonder what Michael was hiding.”

  “Do you have any ideas?”

  “How should I know? You’re the one who has worked on a bunch of cases before.”

  “True. But you know a lot more about Michael than I do.”

  “It’s what I don’t know about Michael that I’m afraid of. Like, what is he really capable of? Could he have actually killed his brother?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I hate to say this, considering that they were related, but there’s a very real possibility that Michael could be guilty.”

  “That’s a pretty bold statement.”

  “I’m not ready to definitively say he was behind this, but I can’t rule him out.”

  “If he is guilty, I hope some evidence surfaces pinning him to the crime,” Chloe said.

  “That would be nice,” Danielle said.

  “In the meantime, we have another suspect to question.”

  “You’re right. It’s time to focus on Larry McDavid.”

  “How well do you know him?”

  “I know a bunch about him. But we’re not friends or anything. We’ve only met a few times.”

  “I assume that Richard talked to you about him a bunch, though.”

  “Oh yeah. Especially with the recent problems they were having.”

  “You mean, how Larry wanted to sell the business but Richard didn’t?”

  Danielle’s eyes widened. “How do you know about that?”

  “I’m an investigator. It’s my job to know things.”

  “Right. Of course,” Danielle said. “Anyway, neither one of them would budge on the issue. It became a real sore spot for both of them.”

  “What a shame. They spent all this time building up a business together. Only for them to turn on each other in the end.”

  “That is pretty terrible.”

  “All over money.”

  “To be fair, it was a lot of money. A life changing amount of money.”

  “Or, enough money to end someone’s life over.”

  “It’s pretty amazing the things that people will do for cash.”

  “There’s a reason that greed is one of the seven deadly sins.”

  “The key word there being deadly.”

  “Yeah. This should be one interesting interview.”

  “Let’s hope this one goes better than the last one did,” Danielle said.

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” Chloe said.

  “Are you kidding? Right now, I’m not counting on anything,” Danielle said. “There’s not telling what’s going to happen next.”

  “There sure isn’t,” Chloe said.

  Chapter Ten

  A few minutes later, Chloe’s car pulled up in front of Yarmouth Novelty T-shirt Warehouse. The t-shirt shop was co-owned by Richard Gilbertson and Larry McDavid. At least, it was until Richard’s death. With Richard gone, Larry would have full say over the business.

  When Chloe and Danielle went inside the warehouse, they expected to see Larry. There was no sign of Mr. McDavid, however. Was he at home?

  Before the investigators left the warehouse, they wanted to be sure that he truly wasn’t there. They briefly spoke with a manager and asked if Larry was in the back.

  The manager revealed that Larry was out back taking a break.

  Normally, Chloe would immediately leave the warehouse to speak with Larry. However, a surprise awaited Chloe when she finished talking to the manager.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone looking at her. As she turned her head, she spotted Detective Thicke standing at the end of an aisle staring directly at her.

  Uh-oh.

  This could turn into a
disaster in a hurry. What was the detective doing there? Was he shopping? That seemed highly unlikely. What were the odds that the detective would be browsing this t-shirt warehouse at the exact same time that Chloe was here investigating?

  It was more likely that the detective was keeping tabs on Chloe. In this instance, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. As long as Danielle didn’t find out that Thicke was a detective. If she did, not only would it put Chloe in an incredibly uncomfortable situation, but it would also probably mean that Danielle would completely close herself off from that moment forward.

  Thankfully, Thicke wasn’t wearing a police uniform. He was just dressed in plain clothes. To a casual observer, he would just look like a random shopper browsing the aisles of the warehouse.

  Even so, Chloe still felt incredibly nervous. She didn’t want Thicke to approach her. Luckily, he seemed content to hang back. Thicke pulled out his phone and began typing out a text message.

  A few seconds later, Chloe’s phone dinged. Chloe looked down at her phone and saw a text from Thicke. She wasn’t about to answer it right there. Not with Danielle standing a few feet away from her.

  Chloe turned to Danielle.

  “Can you excuse me a minute? I have to go to the restroom,” Chloe said.

  “Right now? But we need to talk to Larry,” Danielle replied.

  “We will. I have to go to the restroom first. Don’t worry. I won’t be too long,” Chloe said.

  “All right.”

  Chloe walked over to the restroom. Once she was inside, she moved over to a stall and closed the door behind herself.

  She looked at the text.

  What are you doing? the text said.

  Chloe typed out a response. I have things under control.

  Detective Thicke replied, Are you sure about that?

  Yes, Chloe texted.

  Do you have any idea how much danger you could be putting yourself in? Thicke replied.

  I have a plan, Chloe texted back.

  All right. I hope you know what you’re doing, Thicke replied.

  I do, Chloe texted back.

  Still, watch your back, Thicke replied.