Caramel Cream & Murder_An Oceanside Cozy Mystery Book 31

by Susan Gillard

  “It’s hard to go back to normal,” he said, sadly. “We all miss Chris, and it seems much quieter without him here. I suppose it is slower too. It’s not just because of the spring break crowd leaving. It must also be because of his murder.”

  “We’re working on solving it as quickly as we can,” Heather assured him. “And then, hopefully, your customers will return.”

  “I do hope so,” said Mr. Oldsway. “But I’m more happy that you’re working on it because I want to see justice for Chris. He was a nice young man. Very honest and hardworking.”

  “Well, he was hardworking,” Amy admitted. “He did have two jobs.”

  “What’s that?” Mr. Oldsway asked. “Where else did he work?”

  “Just a little side business,” Amy said.

  “I’m afraid I didn’t know about that,” he said, frowning. “I’m afraid that some things do slip past me. But I do have some good news. Could you pass it on to that young detective who accompanied me here that day?”

  Heather nodded.

  “I found all those jars of cherries that were missing,” Mr. Oldsway said. “I could have sworn that I checked that spot in the storage room, but today when I looked, there was a whole bunch of them. The detective was worried that I was getting robbed, but they were just misplaced.”

  Tanya was walking by. She froze when she saw them talking to her boss.

  “Hi, Tanya,” Heather said, cordially. “Mr. Oldsway was just telling us about all the missing inventory he finally found.”

  “Yes. That’s great news,” Tanya said.

  “I hope he ends up finding everything that was missing.”

  “I’m sure he will,” Tanya said. She gave them each a curt nod and hurried away.

  “She’s a sweet girl,” Mr. Oldsway said. “Do you need anything else?”

  “I think we might talk to the employees again,” Heather said. “But if you’re busy, you can do what you need.”

  “I do have a few things I need to take care of today. I need to write the checks for the tips.”

  “What do you mean?” Amy asked. “Don’t the employees get their tips from the guests?”

  “Usually,” Mr. Oldsway said. “But we discovered during spring break there tended to be two types of customers: those who tipped amazingly and those who barely tipped. It became more pronounced during spring break for some reason. So, I started paying the employees more hourly, and we put all the tips into a pool. Then, I divvy it up based on how much they worked during the break.”

  “Makes sense,” said Amy.

  Mr. Oldsway waved at Bruno who was looking out from the kitchen. The large man came over and towered above them.

  “Bruno, they might be interested in getting some take out. Would you take care of them?”

  Then the old man left, heading for his office. Bruno crossed his arms.

  “I want you to know that because of all of this, I really am trying to quit smoking. I bought some of those nicotine patches and am wearing one.”

  “That’s great news,” Heather said.

  “I don’t know,” Bruno said. “I feel much crankier than usual.”

  “Really?” Amy asked. “Because you seemed pretty cranky every time you spoke to us.”

  “Do you want some food or not?”

  “Sure,” Heather. “We’ll just take some sandwiches for the road.”

  Bruno nodded curtly and returned to the kitchen. They stood there waiting, and then James approached them.

  “Any news with the case?” James asked. “Did his girlfriend do it?”

  “She has an alibi for the time of the murder,” Heather said.

  “Oh,” James said, frowning. “She was the only person I could think of who had a motive. I guess it had to be someone else though if she has an alibi. Who do you think did it?”

  “We’re still trying to figure that out,” said Heather.

  Then her phone rang, and she answered it. Ryan was calling to tell her that they had tracked down someone who they were fairly certain Chris Henderson sold drugs to. The man had a record for possession, and money was exchanged between him and the victim. Heather told him it sounded promising and Ryan assured her he would tell them as soon as the man was ready to be questioned.

  “Looks like we might have a lead,” Heather said when she hung up.

  One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

  Heather tried to keep a smile on her face. Josie was having a wonderful time. She and Josh were visiting Donut Delights and trying the new flavors. Josie was also able to meet Eva and Leila. The two senior ladies were huge fans of Heather’s donuts and had taken a break from the bingo tournament to refuel with their favorite snacks. Josie was delighted by the senior women who were making her laugh.

  Heather was glad that Josie was having such a good time, but she was also distracted. She kept checking her phone to make sure that she hadn’t missed a call from Ryan. She wanted to know all about the man Chris Henderson might have sold drugs to. The longer she waited, the more concerned she became that the man was the killer and had attempted something drastic when Ryan and Peters went to talk to him.

  “Cara- melting my heart,” Leila joked. “I could eat these Caramel Cream Donuts and spend time with you lovely people all day.”

  “We thoroughly approve of your girlfriend, my dear,” Eva told Josh.

  “I’m glad to hear you say that,” Josh said, struggling to keep his plans to propose a secret.

  Amy picked up another donut and put it in her mouth to stop her from saying anything she might regret.

  Josie smiled. “I thoroughly approve of all your friends, Josh. We’re going to have to visit more often.”

  Heather was just telling her what a great idea that was, and how they could do more activities with Lilly when she wasn’t in school, when her cell phone rang. Heather realized she had been having to excuse herself from many conversations recently to find out updates on the case, but that was all part of being a private investigator. She also desperately wanted to know what Ryan could tell her about the new suspect. She didn’t have a better guess at the moment who it could be and hoped that Ryan’s lead would be helpful.

  “He’s not the killer,” Ryan said after they said their greetings.

  “You’re sure?” Heather asked.

  “He most likely did buy drugs from Chris Henderson, but he couldn’t have killed him. The man checked himself into rehab earlier in the week. He’s still there now, and he was there when the victim was killed.”

  “It’s good that this man is seeking help,” Heather said. “But it’s a shame that we lost another lead.”

  “I’ll keep digging,” Ryan said. “Peters and I will keep looking for Chris Henderson’s customers. It was most likely one of them who committed the murder.”

  Heather thanked him for the news and promised to keep thinking about the case,

  “Oh dear,” Eva said. “Bad news?”

  “Not bad,” Heather said. “But we’ve lost another potential suspect. I’m afraid I really don’t know who did it this time.”

  “Do you want to go through the case with us?” Leila asked. “Sometimes that helps.”

  “That is if Josie doesn’t mind,” Eva added.

  “I don’t mind at all,” said Josie. “In fact, I’m fascinated.”

  Heather smiled at her friends. “Here’s what we know about the victim: he lived on the island and worked as a waiter at the Beachcomber Bistro. He also sold drugs on the island. He would meet a guy called Partridge behind the bistro to get the drugs to sell. He was supposed to meet him on the night he died. However, Partridge was delayed. Chris Henderson was liked by his co-workers and had a girlfriend that he never told about his illegal dealings.”

  “Though she did notice that he had extra money,” said Amy.

  “And the girlfriend isn’t a suspect?” Josie asked.

  Heather shook her head. “She has an alibi for the time of the crime. However, it’s funny because the only real pi
ece of evidence at the scene points to her.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Josh.

  “I mean that the murder weapon was a brick that was taken from the building next door. Anyone could have picked it up, and the killer didn’t even try to hide it.”

  “That seems brazen,” said Eva. “The police weren’t able to find any DNA on the weapon.”

  “Only the victim’s,” said Heather.

  “What else was at the scene?” asked Josh.

  “A ton of cigarette butts.”

  “Ninety-eight,” Amy corrected.

  “But they were accumulating long before the murder. Everything else there was trash that fell from the dumpster, except for a barrette. It belonged to Chris’s girlfriend.”

  “You’re sure her alibi is solid?” asked Josie.

  Heather nodded. “The spa allowed the police to see their security tapes. Nobody exited the building during the night.”

  “Then it has to be related to the drugs,” said Amy. “Maybe we should talk to Big CC again. Maybe we should bring him tacos this time.”

  “Ryan and Peters are looking for more of Chris Henderson’s buyers,” said Heather. “But somehow, the drug angle doesn’t seem quite right to me either.”

  “How so?” asked Eva.

  “Partridge was right about something. We know about what’s going on now because of Chris’s murder. It exposed the operation in a way they didn’t want to be.”

  “That’s true,” Josh said. “This crime just reveals the other ones.”

  “And if someone wanted to rob Chris, they should have waited until after he met with Partridge,” Heather continued. “Something about the whole situation seems fishy to me.”

  “If his dealing drugs didn’t relate to his murder, then what’s the reason?” asked Josie.

  Heather held up her hands. “That’s why I’m getting lost. I can’t figure it out.”

  “Don’t worry. You will, dear,” Eva said.

  “That’s right,” Leila agreed. “You always find the one clue you need to crack the case.”

  “Well, like I said before, the problem with this case is that the only real clue was the barrette,” Heather said, starting to trail off.

  “What’s going on?” Josie asked.

  “I think she’s figured it out,” Amy said. “She has that look on her face.”

  “Of course,” Heather said to herself, rising to her feet as the others watched. “It was supposed to look like Ellie was there. And the killer did that because he didn’t know about Chris’s drug dealing. That might have been an easier angle to use.”

  “I’m not quite sure what’s happening,” Josie said.

  “It’s okay,” Amy assured her. “She’ll explain it all to us eventually. She just needs to sort it out herself first.”

  “And if the killer was trying to frame her, then there could only be one person who did it,” Heather said. “But why?”

  “Yeah,” said Amy. “Why?”

  Suddenly, Heather snapped her fingers. “I figured it out! But we’re going to need to figure out a way to prove it.”

  Mr. Oldsway’s Plan

  “This is one of our most uncomfortable hiding places yet,” Amy groaned.

  Heather shushed her friend but had to agree that she was right. The two investigators were hiding under a table at the Beachcomber Bistro, listening to how everyone would react to Mr. Oldsway’s plan.

  “Why can’t we be in the kitchen like Ryan and Peters?” Amy whined.

  “Because we need to be close by to hear what they say,” Heather whispered. “Now, be quiet, or this won’t be much of a hiding place.”

  Amy sighed quietly. Then they waited. They saw three pairs of feet enter the room and sit down. Luckily, none of the employees decided to sit at the table that the investigators were under. They had chosen a good place in that regard. Heather knew that it would have made their hiding spot even more uncomfortable if they got kicked in the nose by a suspect.

  Mr. Oldsway entered the room and addressed his employees.

  “Thank you all for coming in so early,” he said. “I thought, based on everything that’s happened, we should have a meeting to discuss things.”

  “And you’ll also give us our checks for the spring break tips?” James suggested.

  “It is because of your tips that I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Did someone steal from the fund?” Bruno asked. “I know some items have gone missing from the kitchen during spring break.”

  “They’re all back now,” Tanya said. “I saw them.”

  “If somebody was stealing from it, it must have been Chris,” said James. “He always seemed to have more money than us.”

  “No, no,” Mr. Oldsway said. “The tip money is all safe, secure and accounted for. I’ve been keeping on top of it, and I know that it is fine.”

  “Then what did you want to talk to us about?” Tanya asked.

  “About Chris’s share, right?” said Bruno.

  “That is right,” Mr. Oldsway said.

  “That’s a simple answer,” said James. “You should remove him from the equation. It’s sad that he’s not here, but his ghost can’t do anything with the money.”

  “What about his family?” asked Tanya.

  “I think his share should be divided amongst us employees,” James said. “I know it’s going to be a large share because he worked here so long, but it’s still only fair that the tips go to the people who worked here.”

  “Did you have another suggestion, boss?” Bruno asked.

  “I did,” said Mr. Oldsway. “I know that you were all expecting the tip money, but you did make a good hourly wage while you worked. This was like a bonus. And the truth was, poor Chris was expecting to be alive. I was thinking that we should use the tip pool to do something nice in his honor. We could build a statue for him to put in the restaurant.”

  “I’d like that,” Tanya said. “He loved working here. It’s a nice tribute.”

  “Are you crazy?” James asked. “Why should we waste our hard-earned money on that?”

  “Because he died,” said Tanya.

  “Exactly,” said James. “He can’t use the money, but we can.”

  Under the table, Amy asked, “How much longer is this going to take?”

  Admittedly, Heather’s leg was falling asleep from being cramped up for so long.

  “I think it will be soon,” said Heather.

  “Let’s take a vote,” Mr. Oldsway said. “That seems to be the democratic thing to do. Who would like to take the money? And who would like the statue made?”

  Bruno and Tanya opted for the statue, while James voted for keeping the money.

  “Looks like we have a winner,” Mr. Oldsway said. “We’ll use the money to make a tribute to Chris.”

  “No!” James yelled. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “It’s the right thing to do,” Tanya said.

  “I worked hard for that money,” James said. “I hate dealing with customers, but I did it because I knew there was a lot of money to be made during tourists’ vacations. I need the money.”

  “Calm down,” Bruno said.

  “No. I won’t calm down,” said James. “I need the money. I want the money. I didn’t work at this stupid restaurant for fun. I didn’t deal with stupid tourists for kicks. I didn’t kill Chris for nothing.”

  “You killed Chris?” Tanya asked.

  James realized what he said, but then buckled down. “That’s right. I knew he’d get the larger share of the tip money, and I wanted it. I was willing to kill for it. And that’s why you’re going to give it to me now.”

  James ran towards the kitchen. Heather and Amy jumped up from out of their hiding place, realizing that James was looking for a weapon. However, luckily, in his search, he had run directly into the detectives’ hiding place.

  “He was headed toward the knives,” Peters reported. “But we were able to stop him.”

  Ryan began
reading him his rights while James scowled.

  “He really killed Chris over the tip money?” Tanya asked.

  Heather nodded. “He wanted a larger share for himself and figured if he could get rid of the competition without drawing any attention to himself, then he could have more of the money. He tried to frame Chris’s girlfriend for the crime by leaving her barrette at the scene.”

  “And that’s why he was willing to give us so much information about her,” Amy added. “He was hoping that we’d think of her as a suspect.”

  Ryan and Peters led an angry James away. Mr. Oldsway took a seat at a table.

  “I can’t believe this happened,” he said, sadly.

  Then Tanya and Bruno both moved closer to him and hugged him. Heather smiled. She sensed that they would take care of one another.

  The Proposal

  Heather, Amy, and Josie sat with cucumbers over their eyes while pedicurists worked on their feet. After such a hectic week, Heather was glad they were able to have some relaxation time.

  However, it wasn’t completely relaxing. Heather did have to recount the entire story of catching the killer to Josie, who exclaimed how exciting it all was.

  “You’re really brave to track down killers like you do,” Josie said.

  “I hadn’t thought of it like that,” said Heather. “It’s something I discovered I could be helpful with, and I like knowing that I’m helping people.”

  After discussing the case, Amy asked Josie, “So, how are things with you and Josh? Do you think things are becoming serious?”

  “Things are wonderful,” Josie said. “I can’t imagine them being any better.”

  “So, you’re not looking for any changes?” Amy pried.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing,” Amy said quickly.

  “I think Josh and I work well together,” Josie said, trying to answer the question without understanding it. “Sometimes I get too excitable, and he grounds me. And I make him happier, so his temper doesn’t get him into trouble. But I think the main reason we’re in love is because of how often we make the other person smile.”