by K M Morgan
“I know that now. What can I say? I let my emotions get the best of me.”
“I have to be honest, this doesn’t look good for you.”
“I didn’t do it,” Amelia declared.
Deanna gave Amelia a hug.
“I know you didn’t,” Deanna said.
Amelia looked to be on the verge of tears. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Just hang tight.”
“That’s easier said than done. I’m hanging on by a thread here.”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s going to be okay.”
“How do you figure that?” Amelia asked.
“The real killer is out there, and they will be caught,” Deanna said.
“Look, I know you have confidence in your boyfriend’s detective skills, but unfortunately, he seems convinced that I did this.”
“That’s why I’m taking matters into my own hands.”
“Wait a minute. What do you mean?”
“I’m going to find the real killer,” Deanna declared.
“You?”
“You don’t have to act so surprised.”
“I’m just worried about you. Are you sure about this?” Amelia asked.
“It’s not like I want to put myself in harm’s way, but what’s the alternative, letting you get locked up?”
“I can’t believe you’re actually doing this. Thank you so much.”
Deanna smiled. “Hey, friends don’t let friends get wrongfully arrested for murder.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard that saying,” Amelia joked.
“There’s a first time for everything.”
That statement took on new meaning, considering all Amelia had been through that morning. “There certainly is. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you.”
“Well, there is one thing.”
“Name it,” Amelia said.
“I need you to tell me any dirt you have on your co-workers and Kenneth’s family that can help crack this case,” Deanna revealed.
Chapter Twelve
Amelia told Deanna everything she knew about the other suspects. Unfortunately, it really wasn’t anything groundbreaking that Deanna hadn’t figured out after spending yesterday afternoon at the bookstore. If Deanna was hoping to have a leg up on this case, this info wasn’t going to help. Deanna left Amelia’s place with a tall hurdle to jump over.
Little did she know that task was about to become more complicated. As Deanna came out of Amelia’s house, Tyler was at her car waiting for her. The last thing she needed at that moment was a confrontation with her boyfriend. If anything, after all the commotion of the morning, Deanna was looking to take a breather.
Tyler looked like he wanted answers.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“My grandma’s,” Deanna said.
That wasn’t a lie. It also wasn’t the complete truth either. Deanna did intend to see Gwen but not to pay her a social call. She wanted to get her grandma involved with investigating this case.
Deanna had a bad feeling Tyler would disapprove. She had no interest in getting into an argument with her boyfriend. There was enough on her plate already.
Tyler breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I was worried you were going to try investigating this case.”
Deanna suddenly found herself in exactly the position she didn’t want to be in. She didn’t want to lie and pretend she was going to leave this case alone. Tyler was a detective—he’d find out the truth in due time. She also wondered what the cost of telling the truth was. As a kid, she was told that honesty was the best policy. She was about to find out how accurate that statement truly was.
Deanna came right out with it. “Oh, I’m definitely investigating this case.”
Tyler was taken aback by his girlfriend’s candor. “What?”
Deanna didn’t blink. “You heard me.”
“No. I’m begging you to leave this case to me.”
“Sorry, I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Tyler asked.
“Because you actually think my friend could have done this.”
Tyler grimaced. “You act like this is easy for me, when in reality it couldn’t be harder. The problem is, at the moment, the evidence is pointing directly at your friend.”
“That evidence is inconclusive at best and just plain misleading at worst,” Deanna replied.
“That’s why I haven’t arrested Amelia. It’s why I’m going to question all the other suspects. My job is to find out the truth, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“I understand all that.”
Tyler gazed deep into her eyes. “I want to make sure that you really do. I know you think I’m putting you in a bind here, but my hands are tied here too. You see that, don’t you?”
Deanna stared at him. “I do.”
“Good. This isn’t what I wanted to be doing with my day. I’d much rather be spending the day with you, having a good time.”
“There will be plenty of time for that later. In the meantime, there’s some serious work to do,” Deanna insisted.
Tyler furrowed his brow. “After all I just said, you’re still planning on investigating this case?”
“I already told you I was. My friend’s freedom is at stake here. I have to do this for her.”
Tyler corrected her. “You don’t have to.”
Deanna revised her statement. “Fine, I’m going to.”
Tyler groaned. “I can’t believe this.”
“Look, I’m going to do this whether you like it or not.”
“You’re really putting me in a tough situation here.”
“Think how tough it is for Amelia. She’s the prime suspect in a murder she didn’t commit. If this happened to one of your friends, you’d do anything to prove their innocence, wouldn’t you?” Deanna reasoned.
Tyler thought it over then nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s all I’m doing.”
Tyler took a deep breath. “All right.”
“Good. Now, I have some investigating to do.”
He stopped her. “Oh no you don’t.”
Deanna was confused. “Why are you stopping me?”
“If you’re going to investigate this case, I’m going to be right beside you the whole way.”
“Are you saying you want to form a crime-solving team?”
“I’m saying I want to keep you out of trouble. In the end, this is still my investigation.”
“I can take care of myself,” Deanna declared.
“I’ve noticed,” Tyler replied.
Deanna laughed.
Tyler continued. “What happens if you get in over your head?”
“That hasn’t happened yet.”
“There’s a first time for everything. We’re dealing with a murderer, after all.”
“All right. We’ll do it your way this time. Let’s go catch a killer,” Deanna said.
***
Before diving headfirst into the case, Deanna had Tyler pop over to Gwen’s house. Deanna gave her grandma the details of the newest murder case to rock Desert Palms.
“Oh dear,” Grandma Gwen said.
“I know. The desert isn’t what it used to be,” Deanna replied.
“This is unacceptable. I don’t know who these clowns are, but no one pulls shenanigans like this in my town and gets away with it,” Gwen declared.
“I guess that means you’ll help then.”
“You’d better believe it. My smartphone and keen intellect are at your disposal.”
Deanna smiled. “Good. I’ll write down the names of all the suspects. I want you to dig up everything you can find on them.”
“I’ll sleuth until I find the truth. After all, no one outsmarts Grandma. This hooligan doesn’t know what’s coming.”
Chapter Thirteen
Deanna didn’t know what was running through Tyler’s head, but at that moment, her mind was a complete mess. So many thoughts were runnin
g wild, they were in danger of giving her a headache. Now was the time to get things straight. It was already hard enough solving a murder case without her thoughts drifting off into the clouds. Given that, Deanna began running down the list of possible suspects in this case.
First, there was Kenneth’s wife, Charlotte Gibson. Charlotte was not only being cheated on by her husband, but she also appeared to be involved with some extramarital hanky-panky of her own. If the adultery wasn’t bad enough, who they were cheating with only led to further suspicion. Charlotte’s apparent new squeeze was a land developer who was pressuring Kenneth to sell the family bookstore against his wishes. Kenneth, meanwhile, had been sneaking around on his wife with one of his employees. It was one thing to be cheated on, it was another for it to be happening right under her nose. The question was, who had the most anger about it all?
Next was Kenneth’s son, Wyatt Gibson. Wyatt had designs on taking over the family business. He had a vision for the future of the bookstore, one his father did not share. If it was up to his dad, Wyatt would never take over the family business. That alone was a motive, but there was more. His father was also vocal about his dislike of Wyatt’s girlfriend. The combination of those two factors made interactions between Wyatt and his father highly combustible. Had things blown up overnight?
Also on the suspect list was Hailey Henderson. Hailey was Wyatt’s girlfriend. She also had an open disdain for Kenneth Gibson. Deanna could understand why. Kenneth made no bones about wanting to break Hailey and Wyatt up. As a local self-published author who was struggling to sell any copies of her book, Wyatt was her meal ticket. She didn’t want to give that up. If that wasn’t enough, the subject matter of Hailey’s book was morbid at best. She seemed to embrace the darker side of life. Did that include committing murder?
Kenneth’s mistress, Fiona O’Dell, was also on the list of suspects. Fiona wasn’t just Kenneth’s mistress, she was also one of his employees. With their affair being outed yesterday, Fiona found herself in the spotlight, whether she wanted to be or not. Perhaps Kenneth broke things off with her. Jilted women had a tendency to do some crazy things. Had Fiona flown off the handle?
Next on the list was Kenneth’s mother-in-law, Trudy Carter. Trudy had a number of bones to pick with Kenneth. To start, she had a beef with him over his refusal to stop selling a moneymaking, yet downright filthy book. In addition, she didn’t think Kenneth was ever good enough for her daughter. If she found out Kenneth had been cheating on her daughter, who knew what she was capable of?
Finally, there was Victor Wright. Victor was a high-pressure land developer who was determined to get Kenneth to sell his bookstore. Kenneth vociferously refused. As an added twist, Victor also happened to be sleeping with Kenneth’s wife. There were a lot of components at play. Did they all add up to murder?
One thing was for sure—Deanna had her hands full with this case. Knowing that, there was no time to delay. She had to get down to the bottom of this, and fast.
***
Deanna and Tyler’s first stop was the scene of the crime. Tyler’s team had already cleared out from the bookstore’s rear parking lot, leaving behind only yellow police tape.
From the street, it would be easy to pass by the store and not realize what grisly act had occurred just thirty feet away. Tyler parked on the sidewalk then led Deanna back to the parking lot behind the store.
“You know, it’s nice of your grandma to offer to help, but it’s really not necessary. We have the full resources of the police department at our disposal,” Tyler explained.
Deanna only had one thing to say. “Never underestimate my grandma.”
Tyler chuckled. “You really are different from any woman I’ve ever met.”
“The other times I’ve heard you say that, you meant it as a good thing. This time, I get the feeling you didn’t mean that as a compliment.”
“Don’t get offended. It wasn’t meant as an insult. I’m just still trying to get used to the many quirks of my new hometown.”
“I told you before, we do things a little differently in the desert,” Deanna said.
Tyler raised his eyebrows at her. “Trust me, I’ve noticed. I mean, here I am bringing my reporter girlfriend to the scene of a crime.”
That was the perfect time to switch gears into sleuth mode.
Deanna stopped in the parking lot and looked down at the chalk outline of Kenneth’s body on the ground. “So this is where he was killed then?”
Tyler nodded. “He was stabbed in the back as he walked to his car.”
“He never saw it coming then,” Deanna speculated.
“Most likely not. The killer was no doubt waiting in the shadows and then snuck up on him from behind.”
“With the element of surprise in their favor, the killer could have easily been male or female.” Deanna turned around and looked at the back of the building. “The store doesn’t have security cameras, does it?”
Tyler shook his head. “No, that would make things too easy.”
“What did the coroner say the time of death was?” Deanna asked.
“Between eleven and midnight.”
She bit the corner of her lip. “The store had just closed by then. Was anyone else working that late with him?”
“My men checked the work schedule outside his office. Fiona O’Dell was the only other person on the schedule last night, but she was due to leave at ten.”
“Yeah, but did she?” Deanna asked.
“We’ll find out, won’t we?” Tyler replied.
Deanna switched gears. “Did you find the murder weapon?”
Tyler pointed to a dumpster a few feet away. “My men found a bloodstained knife under a pile of trash in that dumpster. My team is testing it for prints.”
“I doubt they’ll find any. If the killer took the time to wait in the shadows for Kenneth to walk back to his car, they were probably smart enough to wear gloves while handling the murder weapon, or at least wipe their prints before throwing the knife away.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“Unfortunately, luck works on its own schedule.”
Deanna began looking around the parking lot, hoping to spot something the police had missed.
Tyler thought that was a waste of time. “My men searched the whole area already.”
“I know, but I haven’t.”
Deanna kept scanning the ground, paying close attention to the nooks and crannies that could be easily overlooked.
“Do you really think you’re going to find something my men didn’t?” Tyler asked.
She zeroed in on a business card that was beside the front wheel of the dumpster.
“I don’t think. I just did,” Deanna replied.
Deanna then bent over and picked it up.
Tyler became frustrated. “No way. I told my men to sweep the whole area.”
“Look, it doesn’t matter who found it, just that it was found.”
“What does it say?” Tyler wondered.
Deanna read the business card aloud. “Mystical Enchantments Spiritual Advisor. 534 Cactus Lane.”
“A spiritual advisor?”
Deanna smiled. “I don’t know about you, but there’s one person who immediately comes to mind when I think of the term spiritual advisor.”
“Fiona O’Dell.”
“Exactly.”
“Do you still think Amelia is the prime suspect in this case?” Deanna asked.
“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” Tyler replied.
Just then, they heard a thud coming from inside the bookstore.
“What was that?” Deanna asked.
Chapter Fourteen
Deanna and Tyler circled around to the front of the store to investigate the noise. When they reached the sidewalk, they saw Kenneth’s widow, Charlotte Gibson, of all people. She locked the front door then headed towards her car, which was parked on the street.
Deanna’s mind started racing. She wasn’t alone. Tyler was just
as curious to fire off some questions at Charlotte.
By contrast, Charlotte appeared to have no interest in talking to anyone. She was eager to reach her car.
Deanna and Tyler caught up with her there.
“Mrs. Gibson, I have a few questions for you,” Deanna said.
Tyler did not enjoy the fact that Deanna was taking the lead in this questioning.
Charlotte wasn’t a fan of it either. She ignored Deanna completely. Charlotte wouldn’t be able to do the same to Tyler.
“Mrs. Gibson. Detective Goodman, homicide division. Please turn around. I have questions that need answering,” Tyler said.
Charlotte reluctantly turned around but looked eager to get these questions out of the way as quickly as she could. “Uh, now isn’t really a good time.”
Deanna jumped in again. “You do seem to be in a big hurry. Where are you headed?”
Tyler turned to his girlfriend. “What are you doing?”
“Just asking the question that’s on both of our minds,” Deanna explained.
Tyler was visibly frustrated but turned his attention back to Charlotte.
“What’s your answer, Mrs. Gibson?” Tyler asked.
“I’m just headed back home,” Charlotte said.
“That’s understandable. You’ve been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours, with your husband being murdered and all,” Tyler replied.
Tyler was a fairly by-the-book detective, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of being sneaky. To an outsider, Tyler’s response seemed like he was trying to extend his sympathies for Charlotte’s loss. Deanna knew there was more to it than that. It was also a subtle test.
Most recent widows would be filled with remorse on a day like this. Then again, most widows hadn’t just found out their husband was cheating on them the day before. The look on Charlotte’s face would be able to tell Deanna and Tyler a lot.
“Yeah. It’s been a rough time,” Charlotte said.
Charlotte did her best to look remorseful but was not convincing. Like a community theater actress cast in her first big Hollywood movie, she looked completely out of her league. She appeared to be putting on the grieving face other people expected her to, even though remorse was the last thing on her mind.
