by K M Morgan
Antonio nodded. “Sure thing. One tasty pizza, coming right up.”
Chapter Eleven
Life often worked in mysterious ways. Crumple couldn’t help but be reminded of that fact when his pizza craving was interrupted by the sound of a call coming over his police radio.
As the detective answered the call, it became clear that scarfing down on pizza would need to wait. In fact, there was such a big development taking place that Crumple couldn’t even spare a few minutes and take his pizza order to-go. Instead, he was needed at Oak Hill Road.
The moment Crumple finished his call, he turned to Antonio and apologized for having to cancel his order. The detective then bolted out of the pizzeria and hopped into his car. From there, he backed out of his parking spot and sped over to Linda Eldridge’s house.
So, what was this huge new development exactly? According to the police deputy that had called Crumple, Dominick Robertson had left his place. But he didn’t just head out to the gym or to the grocery store. Instead, he drove over to Linda Eldridge’s house.
That was highly suspicious. Especially since Dominick could have driven anywhere. So what was his business with Linda?
It didn’t take long to find out. According to the deputy who was following Dominick, the two suspects were romantically involved. That was evidenced by the fact that when Linda opened up her front door for Dominick, the pair kissed.
Upon hearing that news, Crumple ordered the deputy to detain both Linda and Dominick. The suspects were currently being held until Crumple could question them.
Thankfully, the detective encountered no traffic on the way to Linda’s house. Crumple made it to Oak Hill Road in just under five minutes. Once he pulled up in front of Linda’s house, he got out of his car, had a brief conversation with Deputy Madison, and then headed over to Madison’s squad car, where Dominick was being detained.
While Crumple could have spoken with Linda and Dominick together, the detective found that he always got better results when he questioned suspects separately.
With that in mind, Crumple began interviewing Dominick.
“Talk about an interesting twist,” Crumple said.
Dominick gritted his teeth. “That’s one way of putting it.”
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
“You have a lot of nerve, holding me like this.”
“Me?” Crumple said. “You’re the one who withheld information from me.”
“You can’t just hold me like this. It isn’t right.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m well within my rights to detain you for questioning.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Dominick said. “Now let me go.”
Crumple folded his arms. “I’m afraid you aren’t going anywhere until I get some answers.”
“I already answered your questions yesterday.”
“It turns out I have some new ones.”
“I know what you’re thinking, and the fact that Linda and I are dating doesn’t change anything about the case,” Dominick said.
Crumple stared Dominick down. “Or maybe it changes everything.”
Dominick shook his head. “No. It isn’t a big deal. At least not as big of a deal as you’re making it out to be.”
“If you really believe that then why didn’t you tell me about your relationship when I questioned you yesterday?”
“Because it wasn’t relevant to your questions.”
Crumple scoffed. “You’re dating Scott’s estranged wife. I can’t imagine something more relevant.”
“Look. I didn’t kill Scott.”
“You say that, but you’ve already tried to keep one major piece of information from me. So, why wouldn’t I believe that you are hiding something else?”
Dominick threw out his arms. “What do you want from me?”
“The truth,” Crumple said.
“Are Linda and I dating? Yes. Did I kill Scott? No,” Dominick said. “Now are you happy?”
“Not quite.”
Dominick groaned.
Crumple continued pressing Dominick for information. “How about Linda? Is she responsible for Scott’s death?”
Dominick chuckled.
Crumple’s forehead wrinkled. “What’s so funny?”
“You don’t think I see what you’re doing? You’re trying to get me to throw Linda under the bus.”
“Like I said before, I just want to know what really happened.”
“I’m not going to badmouth Linda.”
“How noble of you,” Crumple said. “What if Linda isn’t as tightlipped as you are?”
“I’ve already said my piece,” Dominick replied. “It’s not going to do any good to keep badgering me.”
“We’ll see about that,” Crumple said.
Chapter Twelve
Crumple asked Dominick a few more questions, but the detective didn’t get anything useful out of the suspect. Instead of wasting his time repeating himself, Crumple then headed inside Linda’s house to speak with her privately.
Even though the detective’s conversation with Dominick had not gone well, Linda didn’t know that. So, Crumple decided to try and set a trap for Linda by pretending that Dominick had shared a vital piece of information a few moments ago.
“I just had a very interesting conversation with your boyfriend,” Crumple said.
Linda’s eyes widened. “What do you mean by interesting?”
“I think you know what I’m talking about,” he said.
Her eyebrows knitted. “I have no clue.”
“Come on, Linda. Isn’t there something you want to tell me?”
She shook her head.
“What if I told you Dominick was quite candid with me?” Crumple said.
Linda squinted. “What are you getting at?”
“Is there anything you want to tell me about your boyfriend? Perhaps about his location on the night of the murder? Or your location, for that matter?”
“No.”
Crumple waited for Linda to elaborate, but she didn’t.
When Linda remained silent for a number of seconds, Crumple spoke up.
“Linda, if I find out that you’re withholding information from me, I’ll be very upset.”
“I’m not withholding anything.”
“Is that really all you have to say for yourself?” Crumple asked.
She snarled. “Look. I’ve already told you everything I know about Scott’s murder. Which is nothing.”
“That is becoming more difficult to believe.”
“That’s what you say.”
“You’re really not going to give me anything else to work with?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Why do you look surprised?”
“I just didn’t think you’d put up so much resistance.”
“This isn’t resistance.”
“What would you call it then?”
“I’m just being honest.”
“You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t take your word for that.”
“Trust me. If I knew anything about Scott’s death, I would tell you.”
“Right,” he deadpanned. “Just like you told me you were dating Dominick.”
Linda lowered her head. “That’s different.”
Crumple replied sarcastically, “Sure it is.”
She groaned. “What do I have to tell you to get you to believe me?”
“You know, there’s a saying in the investigative world. If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about.”
“Do I look worried to you?”
He stared deep into her eyes. “Honestly, you look terrified.”
She shook her head. “That isn’t true.”
“Are you telling me I’m wrong?”
She huffed. “This conversation is going nowhere.”
“You want this conversation to end?”
She nodded. “Desperately.”
“Then give me one good reason to buy your stor
y.”
“Because I’m telling you the truth.”
“You know, it would be much easier to believe you if you had a way of verifying your claims.”
“Last time I checked, our justice system was built around the idea of someone being innocent until proven guilty,” Linda said. “And you can’t prove I did anything wrong.”
Crumple stared her down again before responding. “Not at the moment. But things can change in a hurry.”
Chapter Thirteen
Crumple had a hunch that he wasn’t getting the full story from either Dominick or Linda. Unfortunately, since he didn’t have any evidence pinning either of them to the murder, he didn’t have much of a choice but to let them both go. Then again, perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing.
While Dominick and Linda were both free to go, the police would be watching their every move. Of course, the suspects didn’t realize that. Crumple was very specific about his orders to his deputies. He wanted the officers to tail Dominick and Linda, but not be obvious about it.
By keeping their distance, maybe the deputies would get lucky and catch either Dominick or Linda slipping up. After all, every suspect dealt with pressure in different ways. For example, some were able to keep cool even when things got hot under their collar. Meanwhile, others made rash decisions when the walls started to close in around them.
Would that happen this time? Crumple sure hoped so. But only time would tell.
***
Surprisingly, Crumple didn’t have to wait very long to get an answer. Shortly after nightfall, there was a commotion at Angela Whitaker’s house. But Angela wasn’t the one who was responsible for the suspicious activity. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t even home. Instead, she working late at the flower shop that evening.
So, while Angela was at work, a mysterious figure wearing all black snuck into her back yard. The figure then made their way to the side of Angela’s house, setting their sights on the trash can that was beside the home.
The figure lifted the lid of the can, dropped a gun inside it, then put the top back on the garbage can. Once that was done, the figure pulled out a cell phone.
But the figure wouldn’t get a chance to place any calls.
Just as the figure began dialing, Crumple emerged from the back yard. He had a flashlight in one hand and his police pistol in another hand. As Crumple pointed his flashlight at the figure’s face, the suspicious intruder was revealed to be Dominick Robertson.
“Dominick, were you about to call 9-1-1?” Crumple asked.
Dominick’s eyes widened. “Detective? Where did you come from?”
“Ever since our conversation earlier, my instincts told me to not let you out of my sight,” Crumple said. “So, my deputies have been following your every move. You’ve just been too panicked to notice.”
“I’m not panicked,” Dominick said.
“Your face tells a different story. You’re petrified. As well you should be. After all, you’re about to go to jail for the rest of your life.”
Dominick shook his head. “No. You have this all wrong. It isn’t what it looks like.”
“Are you trying to tell me that you didn’t sneak over here with the intent to frame Angela for murder? That you just happened to come over here when she was working late? That it’s a coincidence how you just dropped a gun in Angela’s trash can? Let me guess. I’ll bet it’s also just a coincidence that you immediately reached for your phone, right?” Crumple scoffed. “What’s next? Are you going to tell me that you weren’t about to dial 9-1-1 to make an anonymous report of suspicious activity at this location?”
Dominick didn’t reply.
“What’s the matter? Are you having trouble untying your tongue? Or did you just realize that it’s all over for you?” Crumple asked.
“I want to talk to a lawyer,” Dominick declared.
“Fine. Go ahead and hire the most expensive lawyer in the world. They won’t be able to keep you out of jail. Face it. Whether you’re willing to confess or not, I know that you killed Scott. And inside that trash can is all the evidence I need to prove it.” Crumple shook his head. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
After bottling up his emotions for the entire conversation, Dominick couldn’t keep a lid on them any longer. “No. It’s Scott who should be ashamed of his actions. Linda is an amazing woman. But he didn’t appreciate her. He didn’t deserve her. When he cheated on her, he absolutely broke her heart. And even though I’ve spent the last few months trying to give her the love she deserves, she was having trouble getting over the pain that Scott caused her.”
“So, you figured that by killing Scott, Linda would be able to devote all of her time and attention to you?” Crumple asked. “Talk about twisted logic. Even for a killer.”
Dominick folded his arms and shot Crumple a glare. “You can say whatever you want, but as far as I’m concerned, Scott got what was coming to him.”
“And you’re going to get what’s coming to you,” Crumple said. “Which is a life sentence behind bars.”
Epilogue
A few days later
In life, there were plenty of examples of love gone wrong. But Daisy McDare and Gavin Watson had a different kind of love story. They had the type of marriage that was built to last. As Daisy returned from her honeymoon, she was more certain of that than ever.
What a honeymoon it was. Daisy’s only complaint was that she couldn’t have stayed in Hawaii longer. Unfortunately, she had bills to pay and a job to get back to.
In addition, on that particular morning, Daisy also had a meeting with a new potential client. If things went well, this could be her next interior decorating project.
Before Daisy met with Colleen Avery, though, she decided to stop in at Sweet Tooth Bakery. She had her sights set on a blueberry muffin. Of course, some friendly conversation wouldn’t hurt either.
As Daisy entered the bakery, Samantha and Granny Annie were standing behind the counter. They both smiled at Daisy when they spotted her.
“Look who is back in town,” Samantha said.
Granny Annie gazed into Daisy’s eyes. “Talk about a big smile. It’s almost like you just got back from your honeymoon or something.”
Daisy replied with a playful tone in her voice, “That’s the rumor.”
“The question is, are you happy to be back?” Granny Annie asked.
“Honestly, as much as I love you guys, if it was up to me, I would still be in Hawaii right now,” Daisy said.
“I guess I don’t have to ask if you had a good time then,” Samantha said.
“Are you kidding?” Daisy said. “It was an absolutely magical week. Gavin and I went to the beach every day. And we watched the sunset every night in awe of how beautiful the scenery was.”
“How about the food?” Granny Annie asked.
Samantha chuckled. “Leave it to you to bring up food.”
Granny Annie threw out her arms. “What can I say? I’m at the whim of my taste buds.”
“I’m happy to report that we didn’t have a single bad meal during the entire trip,” Daisy said.
“That’s what I like to hear. It’s so nice when a place lives up to the hype,” Granny Annie said.
“In my mind, it deserves all the compliments in the world. As a matter of fact, now that I’m back in Cozy Creek, I’m motivated to get as many decorating jobs as I can. That way Gavin and I can save up money to take another trip to Hawaii in the not too distant future,” Daisy said.
“That sounds like a plan,” Samantha said.
“Which reminds me. Do you know what the other great thing about the trip was?” Daisy asked.
“I have no clue,” Samantha said.
“I didn’t pay attention to the news the entire time I was gone,” Daisy said.
“That was a smart move. There was no need to let reality get in the way of your vacation,” Samantha said.
“That was exactly my line of thought. And let me tell you, it felt really goo
d being blissfully unaware of current events,” Daisy said.
“I’ll bet,” Samantha replied.
Daisy continued. “To the point where I still haven’t bothered to go back and see what I missed while I was away.”
“You sound like a whole new Daisy McDare—”
Daisy interrupted Samantha. “It’s Daisy Watson now.”
“Right,” Samantha said. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”
“Enough about me, though,” Daisy said. “How have things been going in Cozy Creek?”
“Pretty much the same as always,” Samantha said.
Daisy stared deep into Samantha’s eyes.
A look of concern came to Daisy’s face. “As in, things have been as crazy as ever?”
“Those are your words, not mine,” Samantha said.
“Am I wrong?” Daisy asked.
Samantha shook her head. “Nope. Your instincts were spot-on. The question is, how did you know that something nutty happened while you were on your honeymoon?”
Granny Annie jumped in. “Samantha, there’s a reason she’s called Daisy McDare, master sleuth extraordinaire.”
Daisy laughed. “Annie, no one calls me that.”
“Not yet. But I’m determined to make that nickname catch on,” Granny Annie said.
“I’ve told you before. I’d be happy going the rest of my life without ever investigating another murder,” Daisy said.
“Maybe that dream of yours will come true,” Samantha said.
“That would be great,” Daisy said. “Although, what are the odds of that happening? Especially since you just got done hinting that something crazy happened while I was away.”
“You’ll be happy to hear that Chris Crumple solved this latest murder by himself,” Samantha said.
Daisy’s eyebrows rose. “Is that so?”
Samantha nodded. “He sure did.”
“Wow. That’s great news,” Daisy said.
“It certainly is,” Samantha said. “So, maybe you’ll be able to just focus on interior decorating from now on.”
Daisy smiled. “That would be fantastic.”
