Deadly Deals and Donuts

by Cindy Bell

  “Aw, how sweet.” Brenda grinned. “I’m going to make another batch of donuts before the crowd gets here.”

  “All right, I’m going to walk this jacket down to the dry cleaners. The sooner we get it back to Pierce’s office, the better.”

  “Here, let me give you money to cover the cleaning.”

  “No, not a chance. Consider it a business expense. I’ll be back in a little while.”

  Joyce headed off in the direction of the strip of stores that lined the street. Green Street was the center of the food truck owners’ world. It was zoned for street sales, and it was the only place in the city that they were approved to congregate all year round. Situated between several streets of office buildings and a high school as well as being close to some tourist attractions, it was a prime location. Joyce walked past a shop that was being renovated. The drilling going on inside drew her attention. She looked inside and realized that they were installing kitchen equipment. She walked past and pushed open the door of ‘May’s Dry Cleaners’ and stepped inside.

  “May? May, are you in?” Joyce called out.

  “I’m here!” A woman stepped up to the counter from a back room and smiled. “How did it go? Did you win Pierce and his friend over?”

  “Not exactly. This is Pierce’s jacket.” She held up the suit jacket covered in glaze. “Do you think you can save it?”

  “Can I save it?” May shook out the suit jacket and smiled. “Of course I can. I can work miracles behind this counter. But I’d love to hear the story of how this happened.”

  “I’ll tell you the story another time, I promise, but right now I need this jacket cleaned as soon as possible. I’ll pay extra for the rush.”

  “Don’t worry about that, Joyce, no extra charge for you. It should be ready in about an hour.”

  “Thank you so much, May, I’ll be back then to pick it up.” She turned towards the door.

  “I’ll bring you some donuts!”

  “Yum! Please do!”

  Joyce waved as she stepped out of the shop. As she did, a flash of light caused her to squint and look away for a moment. When she looked back, it was gone. She made her way back to the food trucks. As she did, she noticed the ‘Donuts on the Move’ sign on the donut truck flapping in the wind. It was definitely time to hire the artist and get the sign painted on the side of the truck. She began to visualize the image when her foot caught on something. Her mind spun as she lost her balance and tumbled forward.

  “Gus! Not again!” she groaned as her knees and palms hit the ground. With an angry glare, she looked up, expecting to see Gus, but there was no one in sight. Confused, she looked back at her foot, which was still tucked behind a shoe. A shoe that was connected to a leg that disappeared behind the hot dog truck. Her heart raced as she got to her feet and walked around the back of the truck. There, sprawled out on the ground, was Adam. The scream that escaped her throat was piercing even to her own ears, but she couldn’t stop it. Adam was dead. It looked like he’d been struck with something on the back of his head.

  Chapter 3

  Joyce’s high-pitched scream summoned others, including Brenda.

  “Joyce, what is it? What’s wrong?” Brenda ran up behind her and gasped as she caught sight of Adam. “Oh no!” She wrapped her arms around Joyce and turned her away from the sight of Adam’s body. “Are you okay? Did you see what happened?”

  “No, I didn’t see anything. Nothing. I tripped over him.” She sniffled. “How terrible is that? I didn’t even notice that he was there.”

  “It’s not terrible, it could have happened to anyone.”

  “You’re right, Brenda, but I still feel horrible about it.” Joyce shook her head.

  Sirens filled the air as police arrived. Brenda clung to Joyce’s hand and guided her to a bench not far from their truck. She’d never seen Joyce look so pale. “Are you sure you’re okay? That must have been quite a shock.”

  “Yes, I’m okay, of course I’m okay, I’m not the one lying on the ground, am I?” Joyce answered sharply.

  “I’m sorry.” Brenda bit into her bottom lip.

  “No, I’m sorry.” Joyce sighed. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just feel so guilty. I don’t know why. We just saw him not twenty minutes ago, how can he be dead?”

  “I don’t know, but from the look of it, it was no accident. Someone attacked him.” Brenda shivered at the thought. “I didn’t hear anything, but I was busy with the donuts. I had music playing and there was music playing from some of the other trucks and some noise from the shop they are renovating, so maybe that’s why I didn’t hear anything. I don’t know what to think. How is it possible that someone could be murdered one truck away, and no one saw or heard anything?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know.” A police officer paused beside them. He reached up and took off his hat. “I’m Officer Reynolds.” He looked between the two women. “Which one of you found the body?”

  “I did.” Joyce frowned. The man seemed quite young, much younger even than Brenda. “I just stumbled over him, quite literally. Do you have anything to go on?”

  The officer shook his head. “Not just yet, there are no cameras near where the body was found, but I’m looking into getting the camera feeds from the local stores. First, I want to speak with any witnesses. As of now, you seem to be the only ones that were anywhere near Adam when he was killed.”

  “We just saw him about twenty minutes before he was found, so whatever happened to him, it happened pretty recently,” Brenda explained. “I didn’t hear or see anything until Joyce screamed.”

  “And what exactly did you see?” The officer turned to face Joyce.

  “You know what I saw, I mean it’s the same thing that you’ve seen. I’d rather not go into detail about it.” Joyce shook her head. “It’s horrible.”

  “Yes, I know it is. I’m sure that you are in shock, but any small detail could be helpful. Since the murder took place so recently, it’s possible that you witnessed something and just didn’t realize what it was.”

  “I was at the cleaners. I left and walked back towards the truck, and then I tripped over Adam. It’s that simple. There was nothing else to see,” Joyce explained.

  “What about while you were in the cleaners?” The officer looked at her intently. “Did you notice anyone in there with you? Maybe someone that left right as you came in?”

  “No, it was just May, the owner. She was in the back and came out front when I walked in. She wouldn’t have been in the back if there were any other customers inside.”

  “Did you notice anyone walk past the window? Someone on the sidewalk? Did you hear any sounds, an argument, shouts?”

  “No, there was no one, and no, I didn’t hear anything. I’m sorry, I really wish I could help, but I honestly didn’t see anything.”

  “It’s all right, I understand. The detective on the case is probably going to want to speak with you when he arrives. If you think of anything at all, please call this number right away.” He handed her a business card. “The sooner we find any kind of evidence, the better chance we have of solving this case.”

  “Yes, of course. We’ll do that.” Joyce tucked the card into her purse.

  “Please exercise caution. We’re warning everyone in the area, as at this time we have a murder and no suspect, which puts everyone at risk.”

  “Yes, of course we will.” Brenda met the officer’s eyes. “Anything we can do to help, we’ll be sure to call you.”

  As he walked away, Joyce stepped closer to Brenda.

  “All of this is very strange. I don’t think Adam was killed for a random reason. He’s right, we really do need to be extra cautious.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Brenda said.

  As soon as the police gave permission for the witnesses to leave, Brenda headed for her car. When she noticed that Joyce stayed beside the truck, she paused and looked back.

  “Aren’t you going home?”

  “No, I think
I’ll stay for a little while. I want to keep an eye on things.”

  “Do you want me to stay, too?” Brenda asked.

  “No, go home to your family, make sure that they know you’re okay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Joyce pointed towards Brenda’s car.

  “Okay.” Brenda frowned. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you here alone though.”

  “Don’t you start treating me like an old lady. I am just fine by myself.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow, Joyce.” She gave her friend a quick hug.

  “Tomorrow.” Joyce nodded as tears filled her eyes. Living alone, she rarely had the comfort of someone else’s arms around her. It still startled her when Brenda would hug her, but in a pleasant way. However, in that moment, the hug revealed just how bothered by Adam’s death she was as tears sprung to her eyes. With no one to go home to, she thought it best to stay for a bit and see if she could find out what some of the truck owners thought about Adam’s murder. It didn’t take long to start hearing their opinion on things. Matt, who ran the pizza truck, made his way over to her. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he reached her.

  “You doing all right, Joyce?”

  “I guess.” She frowned. “It’s a sad day.”

  “Yes, it is. I’m still having a hard time believing that it happened. And to Adam. He was a good kid.”

  “Yes, he was, from what I knew of him. Did you know him well?” She peered at him for a moment.

  “We hung out a few times. He was involved with some people that weren’t my speed.” He pursed his lips.

  “What do you mean by that?” Joyce’s eyes widened.

  “He’s about ten years younger than me, so it figures, but the crowd he hung out with was too reckless for me. Always getting drunk, getting into trouble. Adam tried to keep them in line, but I could tell that even he thought they were out of control sometimes.”

  “Why do you think he continued to spend time with them?” Joyce asked.

  “They were friends from high school, he said. But it was more than that. He treated them like family, as if he couldn’t do anything but accept them. I didn’t really understand it.” Matt shook his head. “I tried to advise him to give himself some space from those types, but he refused. He wouldn’t tell me why.”

  “Do you think they might have had something to do with this?”

  “I don’t know. I doubt it, considering how close they were, but really, anything is possible.”

  “Do you know any of their names?”

  “Just first names, and even those might have been nicknames.”

  “Did you mention them to the police?”

  “I didn’t really think of it.” He frowned.

  “I would consider it. You knew Adam better than me, you might know something that could help the case.”

  “I’ll mention it to them.” He nodded. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m okay, Matt, thanks for asking.”

  “Do you want a ride home or something?”

  “No, I’m fine really. I just need a chance to calm my nerves.”

  “Coffee?” He smiled.

  “No thanks, I’m not sure that would help.” She offered a smile in return.

  After Matt walked away, Joyce noticed that most of the other truck owners were leaving as well. It might seem strange that she lingered, but something was bothering her deep inside. She didn’t believe that someone could kill a man only a few feet from other people and not leave behind a clue as to what happened. What made her feel even worse was that she was certain that she was likely the best witness available. Yet, all she could recall was walking to the cleaners, then tripping over Adam’s body. There had to be something that she missed.

  She walked the distance from the truck to the cleaners again. May’s sign was turned to closed, as were most of the shops on the strip. The owners knew that they wouldn’t get much traffic with part of the street being a crime scene. When she turned back to face the row of trucks, she noticed that the view was clear. All at once, she remembered the flash that she’d seen as she stepped out of the cleaners. It wasn’t normally there, and it had startled her. Her heart raced as she wondered if she might have seen more than she realized. But what could a flash have to do with the murder?

  Chapter 4

  Brenda pulled into the driveway of her three-bedroom home and stopped to take a breath before she turned off the car. Normally, she would head straight for the door, eager to see her husband and daughter. Today, she needed a few minutes to gather her thoughts. Breaking out into her own business had been a bit of an issue between herself and her husband. He had images of her being a homemaker, while she was too restless to settle into that role. She began baking cakes and treats for all of the local bake sales. Her baked goods became so popular that people would pay her to make treats for parties. Word got around about the delicious morsels she created. Joyce heard about it and purchased some cakes from a bake sale, then had shown up at her door one day and asked her to make some more. Even though it wasn’t an official business, Brenda was proud of what she’d been able to do.

  When Joyce offered her the opportunity to run the truck together, Brenda jumped at the chance. Her husband was less enthusiastic. Though their daughter was in school, he sometimes worried about Brenda working outside the home. Because of his job as a journalist, he heard a lot of bad news, which made him concerned at times for Brenda and Sophie’s safety. Brenda convinced him with statistics about the safety of the area and how much it fulfilled her. However, that would change the moment he found out about the murder. She guessed he would be pretty upset. Still, she had to tell him.

  Brenda stepped out of the car and started walking towards the door. She opened it to see Charlie standing at the end of the hallway.

  “Brenda? Are you okay?” He rushed towards her as she closed the door behind her. “I just heard about what happened, why didn’t you call me?”

  “I’m sorry, hon, I was a little caught up with things. Joyce is the one who found Adam, and she was a bit upset.”

  “I understand that. I’m upset, too.” He frowned and wrapped his arms around her. “I was upset from the moment that I heard about it. I didn’t know what to think.”

  “I’m sorry, I should have called you. I honestly didn’t think that word would get around so fast. Is it already on the news?”

  “Yes, it is. They even showed the trucks. I had to turn it off because Sophie recognized the donut truck.”

  “Oh no, I didn’t even think of that. Where is she?”

  “Having a tea party in her room. Don’t worry, she didn’t hear what happened.”

  “I should go to her.” Brenda started to turn away.

  “Wait.” He looked into her eyes. “Are you okay? Really?”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “It’s honestly hard to believe.”

  “I thought you said that this was a safe area?”

  “It is, you looked into it yourself, you know it is.” She frowned.

  “I know I did.” He sighed and took her hands in his. “I don’t mean to upset you more, I really don’t. I just can’t stop thinking about how it could have just as easily been you. Isn’t his truck right next to yours?”

  “Yes, it is, but…”

  “One truck away, Brenda. One truck away.” Charlie looked at her with desperation.

  “Don’t worry.” She took his hand. “Adam was killed for a reason that had nothing to do with me. I wasn’t the target, and I don’t think it was random.”

  “Do you know what the reason is? Do the police know who killed him?”

  “I’m not sure. We’ll find out the truth soon enough. But I don’t think that it was random. Someone targeted him, and there is no reason for anyone to target me or Joyce.”

  “How can you know that? Maybe it was a crime of opportunity. Maybe someone was looking for a victim and he was available, just as easily as you could have been available.”

  “Maybe, but I’m okay. I
should have called you and let you know what was going on. I’m sorry for that. I was just so focused on making sure that Joyce was okay, it slipped my mind.”

  “It’s all right, I understand. How is she holding up?”

  “Okay, I think. I tried to get her to come home with me, but she wouldn’t have it. She said she had some other things she wanted to look into.”

  “Sit down and rest. Do you want me to get you some coffee?”

  “No, I’m probably better off sticking to water right now. I’m still a little jumpy.”

  “I’ll get you some water.” He disappeared for a moment as she settled on the couch. When he returned, he had the water as promised. After handing it to her, he sat down beside her. “What’s Joyce’s plan? Is she going to close the truck for a while?” he asked hopefully.

  “No, I don’t think so. I think she’s planning to open tomorrow morning.”

  “Wow, don’t you think that’s a little fast?”

  “It’s important not to look like we’re intimidated by what happened.”

  “But it will help keep you safe and prevent you from getting thrust into the middle of an active investigation.”

  “And if they don’t solve it, how long would we have to remain closed?”

  “I don’t know.” He met her eyes.

  “We can’t close the business indefinitely.” She kissed him, then settled back against the couch. “I’m just exhausted.”

  “You rest.” He stood up and grabbed a blanket from the linen closet. By the time he returned, she was already stretched out on the couch. He draped the blanket over her. As she closed her eyes, she thought about Joyce and what she might be up to. Was she trying to find out more about the murder?

  Joyce stood in front of her refrigerator and stared at the assortment of healthy food. She’d become determined to live more healthily and went on a health food shopping spree. After the morning’s events, she wished she could find something other than fruit and vegetables. A brownie would be nice. With a sigh, she closed the door and turned to find Molly behind her.