Cozy Creek

by K M Morgan

  Deanna stepped out onto the sidewalk and answered the call from her grandma.

  “Grandma, do you have something for me?” Deanna asked.

  “Do I ever,” Grandma Gwen replied.

  Deanna got excited. “What is it?”

  “It seems like Charlotte Gibson has been doing some lying to you.”

  “How so?”

  “You told me she supposedly left her cell phone at the bookstore overnight, right?”

  “Yeah,” Deanna replied.

  “If that’s true, then how could she have posted a selfie on social media last night?” Grandma Gwen asked.

  “That’s a good question. I’ll have to ask her.”

  “I wonder if she’ll lie to you again.”

  “I’ll be anxious to find out. Good find,” Deanna said.

  “That’s why you never underestimate a grandma.”

  Deanna laughed.

  ***

  When Deanna finished up her phone call, she returned to Tyler’s car.

  “Guess what I just found out,” Deanna said.

  “That’s funny. I was just about to say the same thing to you,” Tyler replied.

  “You first,” Deanna insisted.

  “One of my deputies found Fiona O’Dell.”

  “Was she trying to skip town?”

  Tyler shook his head. “No. The deputy spotted her coming out of a meditation center.”

  “No surprise there. What did she have to say about her alibi now?”

  “She told my deputy that when her chakras were dangerously misaligned, keeping exact time was the last thing on her mind.”

  “Fiona certainly has a way with mysticism, doesn’t she? But that doesn’t change the fact that her alibi is now shaky at best.”

  “She now says she was driving home from the psychic’s at the time of the murder.”

  “That’s her story, at least. She could have easily swung on by the bookstore first,” Deanna said.

  “True,” Tyler replied.

  “That leaves her far from in the clear.”

  “We’re seeing a lot of that today.”

  “Get used to it. There’s more where that came from,” Deanna said.

  Tyler raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh really? What’s your news?”

  Deanna told the detective what her grandma had discovered about Charlotte Gibson.

  Tyler took the news in then leaned back and took a breath.

  “It looks like this investigation is heating up,” Tyler said.

  Deanna nodded. “Isn’t it ever?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It turned out the surprises were far from over. Deanna and Tyler ran into the next one right after entering the building—literally. While Deanna and Tyler got ready to enter Victor Wright’s office, Charlotte Gibson was just leaving.

  Charlotte was so busy fiddling with her phone that she almost ran into Deanna.

  “Funny running into you here,” Deanna said.

  Charlotte was so startled to see Deanna in front of her that she jumped back, clutching her chest. “What are you trying to do, scare me half to death?”

  “We’re here to see Victor Wright. The question is, what are you doing here?” Deanna wondered.

  Charlotte was dismissive. “It’s none of your business.”

  Tyler corrected her. “Actually, it is our business. Considering you lied to a police officer.”

  Charlotte played dumb. “What are you talking about?”

  Deanna called Charlotte out. “We know you were lying about leaving your phone in the bookstore overnight. You posted a selfie on social media last night.”

  Charlotte’s face went white.

  Deanna continued. “So why were you really at the bookstore this morning?”

  Charlotte took a deep breath then explained herself. “I was gathering up all the last of the ownership documents for the bookstore paperwork before my meeting with Victor. I wanted to show him I was serious about getting a deal done to sell the store before he pulled his offer for good.”

  Tyler was confused. “If that’s the case, then why didn’t you just tell us that in the first place?”

  “I thought that my rush to sell the store would make me look guilty,” Charlotte replied.

  “Lying about it makes you look guiltier,” Tyler insisted.

  “Okay, so I went about this the wrong way, but I didn’t kill my husband,” Charlotte said.

  “That’s getting harder to believe,” Deanna replied.

  “Whether you believe it or not, it’s the truth,” Charlotte said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a sizable check to deposit at the bank.”

  ***

  Charlotte might have been telling the truth, but she sure looked guilty. Then again, none of the suspects were doing a good job of proving their innocence. Maybe Victor Wright would be different.

  Deanna and Tyler entered the lobby of Victor’s land development company where a mousy thirtysomething receptionist greeted them.

  “Can I help you?” the receptionist asked.

  “We’re here to see Victor Wright,” Tyler said.

  “Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist wondered.

  Tyler pulled out his badge. “We don’t need one.”

  The receptionist pressed a button on her company phone. “Mr. Wright, there’s a police detective here to see you.”

  ***

  Tyler and Deanna got an unexpectedly warm greeting from Victor as they entered his office. Victor’s greasy, fake smile was on full display. The man was more slithery than a snake after a rainstorm. Still, after all the combative suspects Tyler and Deanna had talked to, it was refreshing to have an interview begin on such a congenial note. The question was, how long would that last?

  “Detective, how can I help you?” Victor asked.

  “I have some questions for you regarding the murder of Kenneth Gibson,” Tyler said.

  Victor shook his head. “It’s a real shame what happened to Ken. That’s no way to go out.”

  “And what is a way to go out?” Tyler wondered.

  “By having your ticker give out while sipping drinks with tiny umbrellas in them while on the beach in Hawaii. That’s how I’m going to go. If you’re going to do it, do it in style,” Victor explained.

  Deanna jumped in. “I have to say, these are some rather strange responses, considering how contentious you and Kenneth were.”

  “Not really. Just because I didn’t like the guy doesn’t mean I thought he deserved to get stabbed in the back,” Victor said.

  “How did you know he got stabbed in the back?” Tyler wondered.

  “This is the desert. News in this town travels faster than a coyote chasing after a roadrunner,” Victor revealed.

  Deanna gave him a critical eye. “Uh-huh.”

  “So, what do you want from me?” Victor asked.

  “Where were you between eleven and midnight last night?” Tyler asked.

  “I was watching my team choke away another fourth-quarter lead,” Victor replied.

  Tyler nodded. “The Red Birds have a tendency to do that.”

  “Tell me about it,” Victor bemoaned.

  Tyler called him out. “The only problem is, the Red Birds had already choked away that lead before eleven. The game was over and done with at ten forty-five.”

  Victor’s eyes opened wide. He revised his statement. “Right, of course. I was drowning away the loss with a few drinks by then. I lose track of time when I have a few shots.”

  “Were you by yourself?” Tyler asked.

  Victor nodded. “Yeah, I was at home.”

  “At least you say you were,” Deanna replied.

  “I have no reason to lie to you,” Victor said.

  “Sure you do. You’re a suspect in a murder investigation,” Deanna replied.

  Victor scoffed. “You can’t really think I’m a suspect.”

  Tyler stared him down. “Kenneth Gibson’s refusal to sell his bookstore was the only thing
stopping you from breaking ground on your planned hotel. On top of that, Kenneth was the only holdout. Everyone else on the block had already sold to you.”

  Victor got a condescending look on his face. “You two are thinking so short term. I had no need to kill Kenneth. I was going to get my way eventually. Six months from now, the store would have been out of business, and I’d be able to pick up the land for pennies on the dollar. Patience would prove to be very profitable to me.”

  “Except that as a businessman, you know time is money. Six months is a lot of time to not be making money on that project,” Deanna insisted.

  “Besides, if you have so much patience, why did you just buy the place from Charlotte Gibson?” Tyler added.

  “The price was right,” Victor replied.

  Unlike with all the other suspects, Victor had remained completely calm. He hadn’t even broken a sweat.

  He was too carefree for a murder suspect, especially one with a shaky alibi.

  Deanna called him on it. “You might fool other people with that greasy charisma, but I see right through you. There’s more at play than just getting Kenneth Gibson to sell his store.”

  Victor played dumb. “Is there?”

  “There’s also the issue of Charlotte Gibson,” Deanna said.

  Victor shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I know what she’s talking about,” Tyler replied. “Kenneth Gibson was convinced that you were having an affair with his wife. After the way Kenneth broke Charlotte’s heart by sleeping with one of his employees, maybe Charlotte convinced you to kill Kenneth, promising to share her inheritance with you.”

  “That’s certainly an interesting story. I’m afraid it’s all fiction and no fact,” Victor replied.

  “Why should we believe that?” Tyler asked.

  “To start, because there’s nothing going on romantically between me and Charlotte Gibson,” Victor revealed.

  Deanna shook her head. “Nice try, Victor.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I would have loved to get Charlotte into bed, but she wouldn’t have it. She loved her husband too much, even if he did keep breaking her heart,” Victor said.

  “So, that’s it then, you deny everything?” Tyler asked.

  Victor nodded. “I’ve already told you the truth. It’s not my problem if you refuse to believe it. Now, if there’s nothing else, I have business to get back to.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The interview with Victor Wright left a bad taste in both Deanna and Tyler’s mouths, but there wasn’t much more they could do right now. They didn’t have the hard evidence they needed to arrest him, nor was Victor about to confess to anything.

  Deanna and Tyler decided to move on. Kenneth Gibson’s mother-in-law, Trudy Carter, was the last suspect, but she certainly wasn’t the least. Despite being in her eighties, Trudy was as feisty as ever. Judging by how Deanna saw her behave at the bookstore the day before, Trudy had reached that point in her life where she didn’t care what anyone thought anymore. She had no interest in holding a single opinion back. The woman was a true loose cannon.

  That could make this interview very interesting. Tyler knocked on the front door to Trudy’s house then waited beside Deanna, neither one entirely sure what to expect.

  A minute later, Trudy opened the door but cracked it just wide enough to poke her head out and grouse at Tyler and Deanna.

  “I have nothing to say about my son-in-law’s murder, so you two can be on your way,” Trudy insisted.

  Yikes. Trudy sounded awfully cranky. This should be fun.

  “I’m afraid we’re going to need more than that,” Tyler replied.

  “How about good riddance?” Trudy said.

  Tyler put his foot down. “I’m with the police. Answering my questions is not optional.”

  Trudy clarified her last statement. “I meant good riddance to my son-in-law.”

  “Ms. Carter, I have some serious questions to ask you about the murder,” Tyler said.

  Trudy sneered. “My daughter warned me about your questions. Here’s your answer—I didn’t do it.”

  “Excuse me, but I’ll be the judge of whether your answers are satisfactory,” Tyler replied.

  Trudy groaned. “Who do you think you are?”

  “I’m a detective,” Tyler replied.

  “I meant who do you think you are coming to an eighty-two-year-old’s house and trying to stir up trouble?” Trudy snapped.

  Deanna had heard enough. Tyler’s approach was getting them nowhere.

  It was time to fight feistiness with feistiness.

  “You’re the one making this difficult. This interview could be over already if you’d just cooperate,” Deanna said.

  “Fine,” Trudy groused.

  “All right. Now, where were you between eleven and midnight?” Tyler asked.

  “I’m eighty-two years old. Where do you think I was, tearing the roof off of the town?” Trudy replied.

  “It’s a simple question, Ms. Carter,” Deanna remarked.

  “I was asleep,” Trudy answered.

  Tyler followed up. “Were you alone?”

  “I’m a widow, not some loose-lipped dime-store floozy. Of course I was alone,” Trudy snapped.

  “I only ask because if you were alone, you have no one to verify your story,” Tyler said.

  “I don’t need anyone to verify it. I speak nothing but the truth as I see it. At my age, I don’t have time for lies,” Trudy replied.

  “That may be so, but with no one to verify your alibi and ample motive, it’s impossible to take you off the list of suspects,” Tyler explained.

  “Motive? What are you talking about?” Trudy asked.

  “You hated Kenneth. You never thought he was good enough for your daughter, disapproved of how he was raising his son, and despised how he put profit over morals at the store,” Deanna explained.

  “True on all accounts,” Trudy said.

  “So, what do you have to say for yourself?” Tyler asked.

  “That doesn’t mean I killed him,” Trudy said.

  “It hardly makes you look innocent,” Deanna remarked.

  “I’ve gone eighty-two years without killing anybody. Why would I start now?” Trudy asked.

  “Maybe because you are eighty-two. A jury would take pity on you and be lenient with their conviction or give you a break on your sentence,” Tyler said.

  “That’s insane,” Trudy replied.

  Deanna had another theory. “This isn’t. Yesterday, your no-good son-in-law broke your daughter’s heart by admitting that he’d been cheating on her with one of his employees. No parent wants to see their child suffer, no matter how old they are. In some cases, a mother will do almost anything for her daughter.”

  At that moment, Trudy lost the last of her patience. She issued an ultimatum. “Either arrest me, or leave me alone. Either way, I’m done talking to you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Deanna and Tyler suddenly found themselves caught in a strange limbo. They had finished questioning the last of the suspects but were still far from getting the answers they wanted. That was the last place they wanted to be. This was one of those pesky cases that didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get solved.

  That was especially frustrating for Deanna, as she was desperate to keep her friend out of jail. Still, despite the way things had turned out so far, she remained hopeful. She had to. There was too much riding on this to give up. Besides, she knew it usually took just one break to blow a case wide open.

  In the meantime, it seemed like a good time to do some regrouping. After all, it was one thing not to have enough evidence to make an arrest. It was another when each suspect looked guiltier than the rest.

  Apparently, Tyler agreed. He was not in high spirits. As he got back into his car, he let out a big sigh.

  “So, what now?” Tyler asked.

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Deanna wondered.

 
“I know what I’d do, but I didn’t bring you along on this case to do things by the book.”

  “Of course. Letting an amateur like me tag along with you is the kind of thing that would get the book thrown at you.”

  “Exactly. So, seeing as how you’re a wild card in this case, I’m wondering what you typically do differently.”

  “I hate to disappoint you, but usually when I’ve questioned all the suspects, I find it’s time to take a breather,” Deanna explained.

  Tyler smiled. “I was about to suggest the same thing. Maybe we’re not so different, after all.”

  Deanna raised her eyebrow at him. “Do you really believe that?”

  After he thought his statement over, he changed his position. “Okay. So, I take that back. I could use a breather. My brain is starting to turn into pudding.”

  “Speaking of pudding, I could really go for some chocolate right about now. What do you say we go take a breather and collect our thoughts?”

  Tyler grimaced. “I wish I could.”

  “What’s the matter? Duty calls?”

  “Actually, it does.”

  “What a shame. More pudding for me,” Deanna teased.

  “Hey, it’s not that I want to head back to the station, but I should see if the boys have dug up anything new.”

  “Okay. Keep me updated.”

  “I will. You do the same if you happen to stumble upon some inspiration while having pudding,” Tyler replied.

  “Let me tell you something—nothing inspires a woman like chocolate.”

  “You know, it’s traditional to have dinner before dessert instead of the other way around, but maybe after I’m done at the station, I can take you out for a bite.”

  “Sounds great,” Deanna said.

  “Would you mind going to Joe’s Diner again?” he wondered.

  Deanna laughed. “Uh-oh. Look who’s hooked.”

  “I can’t help it. When I find a good thing, I just can’t get enough of it.”

  Deanna smiled. “That’s good to know.”

  “It’s settled then. In the meantime, where should I drop you off to get that pudding?” he asked.