Dying for a Donut (Laurel McKay Mysteries Book 5)

by Cindy Sample

  “They should be done interviewing her by now. Go on in.”

  I thanked him then entered the building. Jenna and Nina sat next to each other at one of the customer tables. I dropped into the seat opposite Jenna. “How are you holding up, honey?” I asked.

  “I’m fine,” she said, although her red-rimmed eyes declared otherwise. Nina’s wrinkled cheeks still bore tracks of her own tears.

  “How are you doing?” Nina asked me. “After all, you’re the one who found…him.” She snuffled and swiped at her eyes.

  “Axel looked quite peaceful and serene,” I reassured her.

  “Everyone loves, I mean loved Axel,” said Nina, looking and sounding bewildered by the shocking news. “He was a wonderful boss. When he was younger he worked for his father learning the business from one end to the other, just like his son is doing now.”

  She sniffed. “Poor Eric. He has big shoes to fill.”

  Jenna and I exchanged glances, but this wasn’t the appropriate time to comment on Eric’s wandering mitts. From now on, he’d hopefully be too busy filling those big shoes to waste time annoying the female staff.

  I looked around the immaculate bakery and dining area. The entire operation appeared to be sound and well cared for.

  “Did Axel have any financial issues?” I asked curiously.

  “Not that I’m aware of,” Nina said. “That new apple farm next door opened up last year, which means additional competition, but we shouldn’t hurt for business. The weather’s been cooperative, so despite the drought we’ve harvested a decent crop this year.”

  My stomach chose that moment to interrupt our conversation with a growl resembling the roar of a mountain lion. My untimely digestive disruption helped lighten the atmosphere. Both Jenna and Nina erupted into giggles which bordered on the edge of hysteria.

  “Would you like one of the day-old pastries, Laurel?” asked Nina. “We save them for the staff to take home.”

  Before I could reply, Detective Reynolds noisily announced her entrance. Several deputies followed in her wake. Based on the dark expression on her grim face, the discovery of a sugar-coated corpse hadn’t sweetened her disposition any.

  I had a feeling we were going to need more than a few day-old donuts to turn this detective into a happy camper.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Detective Reynolds first addressed Jenna and Nina. “Thank you for your statements. You’re both free to leave.”

  Nina looked confused. “What about the bakery? And our customers? Sunday is the busiest day of the week.”

  “The bakery is shut down today as are all the shops. We’ve blockaded the entrance and posted several deputies to ensure no one enters the premises. All vendors and customers will be denied admittance.” Reynolds shot a dirty look in my direction. “Obviously we can’t have people traipsing all over the place.”

  “Did you contact Axel’s brother, Paul?” Nina asked. “And Axel’s wife?”

  Reynolds nodded. “They’ve both been informed.”

  “How is Dorie doing?” I asked.

  “Not well, as you can imagine,” Reynolds said curtly, although her tone indicated a trace of sympathy for the new widow. “Ms. McKay, I have a few more questions for you.”

  She ushered me to a table some distance away from Jenna. Nina indicated she would remain with my daughter while the detective and I chatted.

  “So what have you discovered?” I asked.

  She stared at me as if I were a bug that had just crawled out of her shoe. “I’m the one who’s supposed to ask the questions.”

  Geez. The woman had a chip on her shoulder the size of a woodpile.

  “Sorry, my bad, it’s just that I’ve been involved in a few investigations.”

  She pulled a small notebook from her blazer pocket. “So I’ve heard.”

  I shared a conspiratorial smile. “All positive comments, I assume.”

  “Not really.” She frowned. “Let’s get down to business. There are smudged fingerprints all over the victim’s clothing. Any chance those belong to you?”

  Fine. If that’s how she was going to be. “I explained that already. I checked to see if I should perform CPR then realized it was too late.”

  “Right. Now tell me more about this grudge you had against Thorson.” She eyed my swollen cheek. “He assaulted you so you tried to get back at him?”

  “I didn’t hold a grudge against Axel,” I sputtered. “I only found out yesterday his son has been hounding my daughter. Eric and another young man named Tony got into an altercation late in the afternoon, and Tony’s fist accidentally connected with my face.”

  I pressed on my cheekbone to illustrate the damage and flinched.

  “So this Tony person fought with Eric Thorson. Then what happened?”

  “Axel broke up the fight. He sent his son back to the cider house and Tony to his office. A few minutes later Jenna and I overheard a conversation when Axel fired him. Tony sure wasn’t happy,” I said, remembering the way his Antiques Roadshow VW tore down the driveway.

  “Unhappy enough to come back and kill his former employer?”

  “Of course not.” I protested, although I really didn’t know anything about the young man. Still, I felt confident my daughter was a good judge of character. Then her remarks sank in.

  “So Axel was murdered.”

  The detective tapped her pen against her full lips. “I didn’t say that. The medical examiner will make that determination. I’m merely checking into all possibilities.”

  “Isn’t murder usually tied to one of three things: love, money, or revenge? I think they mentioned that on Castle the other night,” I said, trying to be helpful.

  She shoved her notepad back into her pocket and stood. “Perhaps you should switch to the Food Channel and stay away from crime shows. It might be in the county’s best interest.”

  It also might be in my children’s best interest since no one would ever confuse me with a domestic diva, but there was no way a cooking show could ever captivate me like my favorite crime shows.

  My cell rang and I reached into my purse to grab it. My heart fluttered when I saw the caller’s name.

  “It’s my boyfriend,” I said to Reynolds. “Do you mind if I take it?”

  “Tell Tom I said hi.” She winked and sauntered off.

  I clicked the green accept button while processing her curious comment and even more peculiar wink. Maybe she had a tic in her eye. After our conversation, I was feeling a bit twitchy myself.

  “Hey, Tom,” I said into the phone.

  “Hi, sweetheart, I miss you.” The man certainly knew how to greet his girlfriend. His soft baritone warmed my heart and…other stuff.

  “I miss you, too. How’s your case coming?”

  His heavy sigh indicated it wasn’t coming along that well. “It’s troublesome, but that’s not why I called. I heard that Axel Thorson was found dead early this morning at Apple Tree Farm. Wasn’t Jenna supposed to work there today?”

  “She was scheduled to work until I stumbled over Axel.”

  “Oh.” Complete silence followed for so long I began to wonder if we’d lost our connection. Then Tom continued. “No one shared that particular tidbit with me. Dare I ask how you managed to include tripping over Axel in your day’s activities?”

  “You know me. Timing is everything, and I never seem to have it. When Jenna and I arrived a little before six, we noticed Axel’s car in the parking lot. After she and Nina entered the bakery, I walked over to Axel’s office to discuss something with him.”

  “And…” he prompted.

  “When he didn’t respond to my knocking on his office door, I walked around the building thinking he might be in the warehouse.” My voice dropped. “And he was.”

  “I wish there was a way to keep you out of trouble,” he mumbled into the phone.

  Well, maybe if he wasn’t 120 miles away we could do that. Together.

  “By the way, Detective Reynolds told me to say hi
to you.”

  “Oh.”

  “I don’t remember her working homicide in the past. Is she new to El Dorado County?”

  “The Sheriff recruited her from the Bay Area. We both worked for the San Francisco Police Department at the same time. Last year she was involved in an incident…” he paused. “Anyway, Ali wanted a change from the city. It can be grueling dealing with a hundred plus homicides a year.”

  “She seems competent.” Annoying but competent.

  “Very much so. It’s a good thing there’s no reason for you to be involved.” I didn’t respond and his volume increased in intensity. “There is no reason, is there?”

  “Nope. I’m just an innocent bystander in search of a donut.”

  “Good,” he said. “Let’s keep it that way.”

  An excellent plan. Too bad I had no control over it.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The drive from Apple Tree Farm to our house was even more subdued than the ride there. Once we arrived home, Jenna announced she planned to nap and then study for her upcoming SAT exam.

  I would have loved to squeeze in some nappy time myself, but my mother, Barbara Bingham Bradford, and my stepfather were due any minute with my eight-year-old son. Since I‘d been forced into weekend chauffeur duty, Mother had agreed to ferry Ben to his soccer game yesterday afternoon and let him spend the night at her house.

  My newish stepfather, retired Detective Robert Bradford, formerly of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, had no grandchildren of his own, and he and Ben had become best buds. Since Hank’s parents had died more than a decade ago, and my father had passed away when I was only ten, Ben had grown up without a grandfather. The new addition to our small family had been accepted by everyone, including the woman Bradford once treated as his number one murder suspect.

  Me.

  My head drooped lower than the plants I’d forgotten to water this week. I brewed a fresh pot of coffee to welcome my guests and to wake myself up. I took a sip of the steaming liquid just as the doorbell rang.

  As I walked through the family room, I passed Pumpkin napping in her wicker basket. She blinked once then evidently decided that was sufficient feline activity for the afternoon and went back to sleep. Lucky cat.

  Mug in hand, I opened the door and greeted my family. Ben graced me with a hug before he ran to the family room and switched on the television. Bradford gave me a peck on the cheek and joined Ben.

  “What’s the rush?” I asked my tall, slender mother, who as usual looked like she’d stepped out of a Talbot’s advertisement, dressed in a matching coral twinset and beige slacks.

  “Ben has discovered football,” she said with a moue of distaste. “Your Sundays will never be the same.”

  “It was bound to happen sooner or later. This hasn’t been a great Sunday anyway.”

  “So I heard. We ate a late breakfast at the Cozy Apple Café and all the talk was about Axel Thorson.” She sent a horrified look in my direction. “Jenna didn’t discover him, did she?”

  “No, stumbling over bodies seems to fall under my jurisdiction.”

  “How on earth did you manage that?”

  We entered my kitchen where I poured her a cup of coffee and refilled my own as I shared my macabre morning discovery plus my encounter with Detective Reynolds.

  Mother took a moment to mull it over. “Axel is highly regarded around here,” she said. “The farm does well, and he’s active with the growers association.” My Realtor mother was better informed than Google when it came to county businesses. “I’ve never heard anyone say anything negative about him, although…” She paused for a few seconds. “I vaguely remember someone in the office saying his farm might be for sale.”

  “I don’t see how a sale could have anything to do with murder.”

  “Are you certain it wasn’t an accident?”

  “Trust me.” I shivered. “The man did not sugarcoat himself.”

  Mother rose from her chair and walked over to the counter. The sun shone through the kitchen window making her short blond hair glimmer. She picked up the carafe and refilled both our cups before joining me at my aging oak table.

  “Despite your unfortunate timing, the detective, hopefully, won’t think you’re involved.” She wrinkled her pert nose at me. “When did they add a woman to the homicide department?”

  “About two months ago,” Bradford informed us as he entered the room, all six-foot-five inches and 250 pounds of him. He reached into a cupboard, grabbed a chipped red mug, and poured the remains of the coffee before settling in a chair across from me. “They started looking for a replacement when Tom was asked to join that task force. He’d worked with Reynolds in the city before he moved here and recommended her. Said she was terrific.”

  “He never mentioned her before,” I remarked.

  “Hard to believe the Sheriff’s Office left your name off the new hire memo,” Bradford commented.

  “Ha, ha, very funny. She’s kind of a pit bull. Reminds me of an old bear of a detective I once encountered.”

  We exchanged grins.

  “Tom called to check on Jenna. He mentioned some incident Reynolds was involved in back in San Francisco, but we were interrupted before he could finish. Do you know anything about it?”

  Not that it was any of my business, but I didn’t usually let that stop me from asking questions.

  Bradford shook his shiny bald dome. “Nah, all I heard was that she was on administrative leave from SFPD when they recruited her, and she jumped at the opportunity to move here.”

  “Hopefully she’s as terrific as Tom thinks she is.” I also hoped my boyfriend meant that compliment in an official capacity.

  “Did Tom mention how his case was going?” Bradford asked.

  I stared at him. “He wouldn’t say word one to me about it. Do you know what’s going on?”

  “More or less. It’s a big operation, and they may need to recruit some more officers to help out.”

  Mother leaned over and kissed her new husband on his ruddy cheek. “I’m glad you’re retired, so I don’t have to worry about anything happening to you.”

  Bradford stared at his half-filled mug before he looked up, a sheepish expression on his face. “Did you know retirement doesn’t prohibit a former officer from acting as a consultant?”

  “No,” replied Mother in a tone frosty enough to eliminate global warming. “I did not know that. Is there something you’d like to share with your wife?”

  Oops. This could be the boomer newlyweds first spat. Should I stay or leave?

  “Tom’s asked me to work with the task force,” Bradford said.

  This decision was a no brainer. I got up from the table and left the room.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  I bumped into Jenna in the hallway. Ben followed close behind in search of his super-sized playmate. We returned to the kitchen where the silence was as thick as the chili I planned to serve for dinner.

  “C’mon, Grandpa.” Ben latched on to Bradford’s catcher’s-mitt-sized paw and tried to yank him out of his chair. “Half time’s over. You’re gonna miss the game.”

  Mother flicked her slender hand at her husband. “Go enjoy the game. We will finish this conversation later.”

  Bradford looked torn between resuming the discussion with his wife and pleasing Ben. The combination of hanging out with my son and watching the game proved irresistible. Based on forty years of my own experience, he probably realized as I did, that it was far better to let my mother cool down before continuing a potentially confrontational conversation.

  The two males left the room. Jenna slipped into Bradford’s empty seat.

  “Straighten up, dear,” Mother corrected my daughter. “Posture is everything.”

  Jenna scowled and slumped further into her chair. “Good posture won’t get me into Harvard or bring Mr. Thorson back to life.”

  Interesting segue from college to Axel’s demise.

  “I’m sorry you were involved in that h
orrible situation this morning,” I said to her.

  “I feel bad for Eric,” she said. “Even if he is a butthead. I remember how awful it felt when Dad was in jail. I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose a parent, especially like that.”

  My eyes misted. Across the table from me, Mother’s frozen expression thawed several degrees.

  “It’s a sad situation for the Thorson family and the Apple Tree staff,” I replied. “I hope they can solve this case quickly.”

  “You don’t think Tony’s a suspect, do you?”

  “Do you know any reason why the detectives would think that? Besides the fact he was fired yesterday. That’s not a reason to kill someone.”

  Jenna planted her elbows on the table, rested her head on her palms and mumbled a reply.

  I brushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear. “I couldn’t hear you. What did you say?”

  “He has a record.”

  I stared at her. “I presume you don’t mean a musical record.”

  She shook her head. “He says it was all a big mistake. He and a friend stopped at a mini-mart last year in Diamond Springs. Tony stayed in the car while the other dude went into the store to get some soft drinks. Instead of getting soda, his friend took some beer without paying. Tony was listening to the radio and claims he didn’t pay attention to what his pal threw in the back seat. Tony had no idea he’d stolen anything until the police stopped them. He ended up going to juvie hall.”

  “Who is this person you’re discussing?” asked Mother.

  “A young man who works with Jenna,” I said. “Or used to work with her before Axel fired him yesterday. Supposedly for stealing.”

  “I bet it was Eric who took the money,” Jenna said, “and blamed it on Tony.”

  While I admired my daughter’s loyalty to her friend, her naiveté was undoubtedly interfering with her normally excellent judgment.

  “The police will sort everything out. In the meantime, you need to study for your SAT. Let’s concentrate on that for now.”