“He was just driving nearby. He parked on the street and then used his flashlight to look for whatever he was looking for,” Heather continued.
“Phillip Ruth could have thought he was alone,” Ryan said. “It would be easy to spot another car on the street. With no other car to be seen, he could have thought he was safe to search. But then the killer snuck out from the trees and attacked.”
“How do we know that the killer wasn’t someone that Phillip knew?” Heather asked. “What if Phillip was meeting someone here? Or if he brought someone with him who turned out to want him dead?”
“I haven’t shown you what we found yet,” Ryan said. He gestured, and they followed him behind the largest of the trees.
They saw that there were multiple footprints in the dirt. It looked like a similar pattern to Heather, and she guessed that one person stood in the same spot for a long time, stepping and re-stepping over the same general area. Ryan affirmed her thoughts.
“These prints are fresh,” Ryan said. “And it looks like the same person was standing in one spot, making all these prints. We think he was waiting. Waiting for Phillip to arrive and kill him.”
“Cold blooded premeditated murder,” Amy said with a shiver.
“Are we saying ‘he’ as a general pronoun for the killer?” Heather asked. “Or based on these prints, do we really think it was a man?”
“It looks like they are men’s shoes and are large, so it was most likely a man,” said Ryan.
“Unless a woman were purposely trying to confuse us,” Hoskins said, diplomatically.
Heather appreciated the effort. So did Ryan, but he had more to add to that train of thought.
“True. But the brute force of the murder also suggests a large male killer,” Ryan said. “He kept stepping over his own footprints, so it will be hard to get a perfect cast of it and see exactly what it looks like. However, I think we can get a pretty good idea of the look of it.”
“You mentioned the brute force of the kill,” Heather said. “And that he was hit on the head. Do you have an idea of what the murder weapon is?”
“Not yet,” Ryan said. “We’re not sure if the killer took it with him or if it’s nearby. We’re searching the area slowly because of the darkness. We don’t want to accidentally trample on something that could be important later on.”
“We’ll help you canvass the area,” Heather said.
“I have some extra flashlights in my car,” Amy said. They looked at her, surprised, but she answered. “What? After working all these cases, I make sure that I’m prepared. My car is fully stocked. With supplies that might be useful for cases and with donuts to combat hunger or when you need a burst of sugary energy.”
Hoskins looked eager to follow Amy to her car in the hopes of gaining some sugary energy himself but refrained. Amy returned with flashlights, and they joined the police in their search.
It was slow work. Not only did they have to keep their eyes peeled for potential clues, but they had to watch their step – and make sure that they didn’t step on anything that could be important.
Near the street, it had already been discovered that Phillip walked from his car to the trees seemingly by himself. The killer’s footprints were only concentrated in the area of his hiding place.
Heather was starting to feel discouraged as they searched further away from the road in the overgrowth. Her feet were bothering her, and she was afraid that they wouldn’t find anything useful. It was quite likely that the killer took the murder weapon with him. However, she wasn’t going to admit to poor choices in footwear in front of Hoskins, and she knew that a thorough search of the area was important. She scanned the area slowly with her flashlight, determined not to miss anything. Her thoroughness was rewarded.
“Ryan,” she called out. “I think I found the murder weapon. The killer must have tossed it away.”
Ryan hurried over to her as quick as he could while still making sure he wouldn’t contaminate any evidence with his feet. He saw what she was pointing to and carefully picked it up with a gloved hand.
“I think you’re right,” he said.
He carefully bagged the large piece of the branch she found. It was covered in blood.
Chapter 6
“We need some more of those Banana Fudge Donuts,” Eva said over the counter at Donut Delights.
“I think we’re addicted to them,” Leila seconded.
Heather happily served the donuts to her friends on white plates and brought them over to their usual table.
“We’d be happy to babysit again in exchange for these tasty treats,” Leila said as she took a bite and smiled.
“We’d be happy to babysit anyway, of course. Lilly is such a sweet child,” Eva said. “However I do go bananas over these new donuts.”
“I always appreciate your appreciation of my creations,” Heather said. “And I’m sorry that last night went later than expected.”
“Well, crime happens,” Eva said. “You can’t control that.”
“Did you at least have fun on the double date before the troubles happened?” Leila asked.
Heather had not had much of a chance to talk to her friends about the evening, so she recounted how the outing had been. She couldn’t quite comment on the service because it had been such a strange situation, but she could tell them that the food was wonderful. She did say that it was a little too fancy for tastes to frequent very often.
“It does sound like a fun time besides the very unfortunate murder,” Eva said. She tried to look on the bright side of things.
“It was nice to get dressed up and be a little romantic while still being with friends,” Heather said.
“I think it sounds delightful,” Leila said. She turned to her bestie. “I think we should go on a fancy double date ourselves.”
“There’s just one problem with that,” Eva said. “We’d need dates.”
“I’m sure I could find a man,” Leila said. “If I baited him with these donuts.”
They all laughed. Amy joined them by the table.
“I was just telling them about our date before the murder,” Heather explained.
“All of it?” Amy said. “I think I need some donuts for this conversation.”
Heather was happy to oblige and brought some more donuts over to the table, after quickly making sure that her assistants Angelica and Emily Potts had the counter under control.
Amy took a donut for comfort, and Heather frowned. Donuts were a wonderful pick-me-up, but what was causing her friend to be down? Were she and Jamie still arguing?
“What’s wrong, dear?” Eva asked.
“Lovers spat,” Amy admitted.
“Oh no,” Leila said. “I hate it when lovers spit and spat.”
“Maybe we’re just not ready to move in together.”
“Did something else happen?” Heather asked.
“Not really. We talked late last night, and I told him I made it home safe. And he was freaked out about the murder, and that we might have been the last people to talk to Phillip before he died. Except for the murderer, of course.”
“I can understand that feeling,” Heather said. “Investigating a murder is always worse when you knew the victim.”
“And to be the last people to speak to him?” Eva said. “That could unnerve me.”
“Me too,” Leila agreed. “And we have nerves of steel.”
“I thought I was being comforting about that, but then he said he felt like dead bodies follow me around. Besides the gross mental image,” Amy said. “I didn’t appreciate that. We’re private investigators. Dead bodies are a part of solving a murder.”
“Does he want you to stop investigating?” Heather asked. She remembered back to when Ryan had wanted her to stop searching for clues, and how annoying that had been. It was before she was a licensed private investigator so she could understand his point of view. However, she had always had a strong reason for looking into a case and had usually done a good job
of proving who the rightful killer had been. Sneaking behind his back and having to constantly explain herself was something that she was glad they were past. She knew how an unwanted investigation could put a strain on a relationship and hoped her friend wasn’t entering a similar situation.
“Not exactly. But he wasn’t pleased with how dinner went.” Amy continued, “And he said that we tend to end up in dangerous situations all the time. That we face down killers and that we angered that evil mob-tied contractor Lyle Clarke.”
“Those might be some valid concerns,” Eva said. “It does worry me sometimes. Not that I don’t think you can handle yourselves.”
“I guess,” Amy said. “But he has to know I can’t stop investigating. It’s part of who I am now. It’s as important as desserts and sarcastic jokes. Asking me to stop solving crime would be like asking me to never watch Beaches again.”
“And we know that would never happen,” Heather said.
“He knew this was a part of me since we met. In fact, we sort of met because of it,” said Amy.
“So what changed?” Heather wondered. Amy let out and annoyed groan and shrugged. She grabbed another donut.
“Maybe this case just hit close to home,” Eva suggested.
“What home?” Amy asked. “We don’t seem to be looking at places to move in together seriously.”
“A murder happened on a night you were all supposed to be relaxing with one another. And he met the victim who you said was a kind man right before he was killed. He might just need time to process it all,” Eva said.
“You might be right,” Amy relented.
“But maybe solving this case quickly would be a good idea,” Leila suggested. “How does it look so far?”
“Heather was a pro and found the murder weapon,” Amy said.
“We were all canvassing the area,” Heather said, not wanting to make a big deal about it. “If I didn’t find it, I’m sure another officer would have.”
“Sure,” Amy said. “Dismiss the fact that you’re a super sleuth.”
“It was a tree branch that was used to kill Phillip Ruth,” Heather said. “It looks like the killer found it there and chose it as the murder weapon. Based on the bark, it didn’t hold any fingerprints, but the lab is still going to look at it. There was a strange mark on the side near the end, like something had been scratched or cut into it. Hopefully, they can figure out what it was.”
“Not if you figure it out first,” Amy joked.
Heather’s phone rang, and she answered it with, “Shepherd.”
Amy, Leila, and Eva ate their donuts and anxiously waited to hear what the new news would be. Heather’s face and answers weren’t giving away much, except when she ended her call with: “We can head over there now.” and “Love you too.”
“So what did Ryan say?” Amy asked.
“No big news with the shoes,” Heather said. “From what they can piece together, it’s a popular man’s shoe. It’s also a size 11, which is the most common size.”
“It still might be helpful when we get a suspect,” Amy said.
“That’s true,” Heather said. “And I told Ryan we would head over to L'oie D'or now. Maybe we can find a suspect there.”
Chapter 7
The restaurant manager was eager to talk to them, but for a different reason than they anticipated.
“You have returned? I am so pleased,” he said. “That wait for your meal was most unfortunate, but it is not a common occurrence at L'oie D'or. In fact, something most terrible befell your waiter yesterday so he was unable to return and provide you the excellent service that he usually would. I do not wish to offend your delicate ladies’ sensibilities, but believe me, he was quite unable to return.”
“We know,” Heather said. “We are not here as customers.”
“Please do not say that,” the manager said. “We so want you to return.”
He snapped his fingers, and a dark-haired waiter appeared. He waved his hand around in a way that must have made sense to the waiter who displayed a fresh cheese platter in front of them.
“Thank you,” Heather said. “We had your cheese platter yesterday, and it was very good, but that is not why we are here.”
“Here for something new?” The manager said. “Some Soupe à L'oignon? A fresh crepe? Cheese soufflé?”
“No,” Heather said. “We’re not here for your food.”
“Dessert then?” The manager said. He gestured again, and the waiter displaced a dessert tray before them. “Eclairs?”
This time Amy couldn’t resist and had to sample one.
“It’s delicious,” she said. “And we know desserts.”
“Please, allow us to set up a table. We will provide a whole spread of desserts for you. Let us convince you to be a customer again.”
“Mr.?” Heather started.
“Mousier,” he said. “Mousier Johnson. But, please, you may call me Pete.”
“Mousier Johnson,” Heather said, indulging him even though it was clear that Mr. Pete Johnson was not from France. “We’re here to talk about Phillip Ruth.”
“So you have heard what happened? You are concerned about the caliber of employees that we hire at L'oie D'or?” Mousier Johnson asked, without waiting for an answer. “Do not trouble yourselves about it anymore. Even though this particular one went and got himself murdered, it had nothing to do with us. We go through a rigorous hiring process. Our employees are worth their weight in gold. No one here has a criminal background or is on drugs. Please don’t believe poor Phillip Ruth was into that sort of thing. He really was the victim in this.”
“We know,” Heather said, determined to control the conversation from now on. “We are investigating his death. I’m Heather Shepherd, and this is Amy Givens. We’re private investigators. We’re working in conjunction with the Hillside Police on the case of Phillip Ruth’s murder.”
“Oh,” Mousier Johnson said. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“I did try,” Heather said. “But you kept offering us food.”
“I did,” he agreed, but then had to ask. “And you’re sure you’re all right? You don’t need a snack? We have the most excellent food here. Are you certain you’re not hungry?”
“The only thing I’m hungry for is information,” Heather said. “We need to know everything we can about your employee.”
“Do you mind if we take notes?” Amy asked, taking a tablet out of her bag and setting up the Evernote App she used when recording information during questioning. Heather gave her a grateful nod. Maybe this would help Mousier John focus on the purpose of their visit.
“Go right ahead,” he said. “But I am not sure how much help I can be. I didn’t notice Phillip was missing until your table informed me. I was mingling with the guests that night, and didn’t realize he was gone.”
“Had he ever gone missing before?” Heather asked.
“There were some times that we were not completely sure where he was. However, in those instances, he was always found soon after. I thought perhaps he was secretly a smoker and would sneak outside for a few minutes. I know it is very hard for some people to quit smoking.”
“He was found coming in from outside after he went missing?”
“Usually. It is possible that he just liked fresh air as well. He never smelled like cigarettes. Though he might have had something in his car to mask the smell. He always drove to work.”
“Besides those moments of disappearance, how would you describe him as an employee?”
“As a model employee. He would stay late when needed. Sometimes he would come in early and just appreciate the ambiance of L'oie D'or. He was competent with orders. In fact, he always remembered special requests and the details of a meal.”
“His hearing was never an issue?” Heather asked. “We noticed he had a hearing aid.”
“No, it was never an issue,” Mousier Johnson said. “He worked here for about a year. He only started using the hearing aid a few months ago
. But there were never any problems with orders before he got it.”
“Were there any guests that he didn’t get along with? Any arguments that might have broken out?”
“No. He was wonderful with the guests. I’ve received many compliments about him. Never any problems.”
“Do you know anyone who might have wanted to hurt him?”
“No. I can’t imagine who would want to do this,” he said. “Though I know very little about his personal life. I don’t believe he was married or had any family in the area. When he filled out an emergency contact card when he started here, he listed his doctor.”
Banana Fudge Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 50 Page 3
