Murder and Layer Cake

by Meredith Potts

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Once we finished up at Jeremy’s house, we headed over to Melissa Maxwell’s place to clue her in on the latest development in the investigation. Melissa was sitting on the porch of her green colonial-style house when we arrived.

  My tall, thin angular-faced forty-five-year-old friend had her long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. That only made her bloodshot eyes stand out even more. She had clearly been crying like crazy.

  Her dachshund, Buster, was sitting on her lap. While Buster was a cute little sausage of a dog, every time I saw Melissa, I couldn’t help but think of her previous dog, Butterscotch. Unfortunately, Butterscotch had passed away a number of years ago. After Melissa laid Butterscotch to rest, she was too heartbroken to ever own a West Highland Terrier again.

  Typically, I wanted to be the one to break the news that a case was closed. This time, I let David take the lead. There were a number of ways that Melissa could have reacted to the news. With tears. With relief. Or somewhere in between.

  She opted for silence. Her speechlessness continued for an awkward period of time.

  To the point where David felt the need to speak up. “I know it’s a lot to process.”

  Melissa nodded.

  “But at least now it’s over,” David said.

  Melissa finally opened her mouth and responded, “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome,” he said.

  “I mean it from the bottom of my heart. You two have done so much,” Melissa said.

  I was trying my best to hold my tongue, but my frustration got the better of me. “I wish we could have done more.”

  Melissa gave me a blank stare. “What else could you have done? You found my brother’s killer.”

  Uh-oh.

  How was I going to talk my way out of this? Despite the strong feeling in my gut that Jeremy’s death wasn’t a suicide, I didn’t want to share that theory with Melissa. At least not without some evidence to back up my hunch. Melissa was already wrestling with enough.

  While I fumbled to formulate a tactful response, David had a much easier time thinking of what to say.

  “What Sabrina meant was that it would have been nice if Jeremy had been put behind bars instead of ending his own life,” David said.

  “I’m just glad this whole thing is over,” Melissa said.

  “I understand. It has been a dreadful time for you. I’m sure you just want to put all this behind you,” David said.

  “I’m not sure that I’ll ever really be able to do that. I mean, I’m glad I know who murdered my brother. But identifying the killer isn’t going to bring Mark back.” Melissa lowered her head. “My brother is gone…forever.”

  “My heart goes out to you,” I said.

  Melissa stared at me with desperation in her eyes. “How did you do it? How did you go on after you lost your sister?”

  I took a deep breath before responding. “I have to be honest. It took a long time. And it was really hard.”

  “It’s already hard,” Melissa said. “I want to know how you found the strength to carry on.”

  “One day, I came to a realization.”

  “What was it?”

  “That Jessica wouldn’t want me to put my life on hold forever. If I did, it would be like both of us had died that day. She’d want me to live my life to the fullest. And that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

  Melissa exhaled. “I’m not exactly in the mood to live life to the fullest.”

  “I understand. Maybe down the road, though.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I know I keep saying it, but I’m so sorry,” I replied. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

  “I will,” Melissa said.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  By the time David and I were done speaking with Melissa, my parents had arrived home from the cabin. David and I headed over to my parents’ house on Sycamore Grove Trail.

  Sebastian, our stumpy little corgi was the first to greet me at the door. I heard him barking the moment I got out of the car. It was nice to get a hero’s welcome. Then again, he always acted over the moon to see me, even when I had only been gone a few hours.

  My mother gave both me and David a big hug when we entered the house. She looked so relieved that we were safe. While my mom had always been a worrier, her anxiety level about us investigating murder cases had only intensified since I’d given birth to my daughter.

  “I’m so glad it’s over,” my mother said.

  “You can rest easy now,” David said.

  “Good,” my mom said. “I’ve been on pins and needles.”

  I took my mother’s hand. “I know you have.”

  By that point, I expected my daughter to have scampered over to me with unbridled enthusiasm, as she usually did. Instead, she was nowhere in sight.

  “Where’s Jessica?” I asked.

  My mom pointed at the living room. “She’s crashed out.”

  I tiptoed into the living room, where my ten-year-old daughter, Jessica, was zonked out on the couch. She had long brown hair, hazel eyes, a square face, and was as cute as could be.

  A teenage sleuth book was open on her lap. It looked like one of the Daisy Clue books. Those were her favorite.

  While most children her age read for pleasure, for Jessica, it was about more than just getting engrossed in a good story. She was determined to become a detective one day, just like her father.

  It wasn’t just some decision she’d come to on a whim, either. She was five-years-old when she first mentioned wanting to join the police force, and she hadn’t wavered since then. Granted, she was still just a child and she could ultimately change her mind when she grows up, but I wouldn’t count on it.

  As I approached the couch, Jessica woke up from her slumber and wiped her eyes. She then jumped up from the couch and threw her arms around me.

  “Mommy, daddy, you’re here,” Jessica said.

  “We sure are,” I said.

  “The case is closed then?” Jessica said.

  David entered the room. “It sure is.”

  Jessica moved over to her father and gave him a hug as well. “Yay.”

  My pear-shaped stepfather, Luke Norton, came out of the kitchen with a beer in his hand and joined us in the living room. “I second that.”

  I looked at my mother, then at my stepfather. “Thanks again for watching Jessica.”

  “Of course. It’s always a pleasure to watch our granddaughter.” My mom leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Although, next time, I would prefer it to be under better circumstances.”

  “I’m right there with you,” I said.

  I saw Jessica yawning.

  “Anyway, we should be heading home,” I said.

  My mother gave me a kiss. “Good night.”

  I crossed my fingers. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

  Jessica headed out to the car with her father.

  I, meanwhile, stayed in the house for a second. “I don’t think I’ve seen Jessica this tuckered out in a long time. Has she not been sleeping well?”

  “Has anyone been sleeping well recently?” my mother replied.

  “Fair point. I’m just not used to seeing her with this little energy,” I said.

  “You should have seen her earlier. She was practically bouncing off the walls,” my stepfather said.

  I put my hands on my hips. “Wait a minute. Did you give her candy?”

  Elizabeth shook her head.

  I stared my mother down. “Are you telling me the truth?”

  My mom tried to keep a straight face as she replied, “Absolutely.”

  I glanced at my stepfather, who had a guilty look on his face. “Dad?”

  My stepfather stared at the ground. “I may have given her a little something.”

  I shook my head. “You two spoil her so much.”

  I always knew that my mother would love every minute of being a grandparent. My stepfather was the real surprise.
He turned into a real softie the moment Jessica was born and had only turned into more of a marshmallow as time had gone on.

  “What do you expect? We only have one granddaughter. I’m not going to apologize for making her happy,” my stepfather said.

  “No wonder she loves staying with you so much,” I said.

  “You try resisting that cute little face of hers,” my stepfather said.

  “Someone has to put their foot down every once in a while,” I said.

  “Well it’s not going to be me. What’s the point of being a grandfather if you can’t have some fun?” my stepfather said.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  David, Jessica, Sebastian, and me went home and headed off to bed. In the morning, life went on. At least for everyone else. Jessica went to school and David drove off to work. It was me who was having trouble moving forward. I couldn’t help it.

  No matter what I did, I couldn’t get Jeremy’s death out of my mind. It just didn’t add up, no matter how many ways I tried to piece everything together. Suspicion nagged at the back of my mind all morning. By the time lunch came around, I had done so much fretting that I could feel a headache coming on.

  I popped a few aspirin, and then received a phone call from David.

  “How was your morning?” he asked.

  “It could have gone better,” I said. “How about you?”

  “It has been nice and quiet.”

  “That’s good news.”

  “I’ll say. I wish every day was like this.”

  “So were you just calling to check in with me or is something else on your mind?” I asked.

  “Actually, I have a yen for Mexican food. Do you want to join me for lunch?” David said.

  That was a resounding yes. A few minutes later, David swung by our house and picked me up. From there, we headed off to Treasure Cove Cantina.

  By the time we arrived at the restaurant, my mouth was watering for some soft tacos. Unfortunately, my craving for a little tortilla magic would have to wait.

  When we walked into the restaurant, I saw Daphne Alford at a table, wiping a tear from her eyes. The tall, trim, square-faced, sixty-three-year-old brunette was an old friend of mine. She was a local radio personality. She used to be a TV anchor, but the television wasn’t kind to women over forty, as she had the misfortune of finding out a few years ago. The local TV station laid her off and replaced her with a twenty-six-year-old. It took a number of months, but Daphne ended up getting a new job as a disc jockey at an easy listening radio station in town.

  Had she been laid off from the radio station as well? Or had something else happened to her?

  My heart sank as I stared at my old friend.

  “Uh-oh,” I said. “I wonder what’s wrong.”

  Concern was in David’s eyes as well. “Why don’t you find out?”

  “All right,” I said. “Go get us a table. I’ll be over as soon as I can.”

  “Take as long as you need. It’s more important to make sure that Daphne is going to be okay,” David said.

  ***

  I walked over to Daphne’s table, fully expecting her to give me some sort of greeting. But Daphne was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice me until I was standing right in front of her.

  “Daphne. What’s the matter?” I asked.

  Her head had been so far in the clouds that she was completely startled by my presence.

  She clutched her chest and jumped up a little bit when she heard my voice.

  “Sabrina.” Daphne took a moment to catch her breath. “You scared me half to death.”

  “Sorry. I just came over here to check up on you. I didn’t mean to send you into a panic.”

  “To be fair, I was already in a panic.”

  “About what?” I asked.

  She took a deep breath.

  I continued. “Unless you don’t want to talk about it.”

  “No. It’s not that.”

  My brow furrowed. “I’m confused then—”

  She groaned. “I’m just so frustrated.”

  “Daphne, you have to clue me in a little. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Sorry. I was just trying to spare you the ugly details.”

  “Okay. I just want you to know that if you do change your mind and eventually feel like talking, I’m all ears.”

  She nodded. “Thanks, Sabrina. You’re always there for me.”

  “That’s what friends are for.” I smiled at her. “If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”

  Daphne sighed. “If you can tell me how to stop my family from being so crazy, I’d love to hear it.”

  Instead of focusing on her response, I couldn’t help but get wrapped up in her facial expression. Daphne looked like she wanted to take back her words the moment they came out of her mouth. Unfortunately, it was too late for that.

  I knew exactly what she was going through. I had been in that exact spot many times before. Not the crazy family part, mind you, but the blurting out of thoughts that were meant to be kept private.

  Since I was so familiar with that kind of embarrassment, I made a point not to draw any further attention to it.

  I made no comment. Instead, I let her get the next word in.

  “There I go, putting my foot in my mouth.” Daphne shook her head. “It has just been one of those days.”

  “I know what you mean,” I said. “Craziness just comes in bunches, doesn’t it?”

  “Absolutely. It doesn’t have the decency to space itself out.”

  “Or to stay out of your life entirely.”

  “There’s a fat chance of that ever happening,” Daphne said. “Especially with my family.”

  “I’m sorry you’re having problems,” I said.

  She grimaced. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to talk about it.”

  I backed off. “Right. Of course.”

  “But since I already let the cat out of the bag, I guess I’ll just tell you,” Daphne said.

  “If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to,” I said.

  Daphne was unable to keep her thoughts from spilling out of her mouth. “William is really concerned about his brother.”

  William was Daphne’s husband. He was a sweet guy. Which made this family strife concerning his brother, Eric, all the more heartbreaking.

  “Because?” I asked.

  “Eric’s drinking problem has been driving a wedge between them for a while, but it really came to a head a few days ago. William keeps pushing Eric to get help, but Eric refuses to even admit that his drinking is a problem.”

  “Is William going to hold an intervention?”

  Daphne shrugged. “I don’t know. But even if William does intervene, it doesn’t mean that Eric will get the help he needs.”

  “True. Some people live in a constant state of denial.”

  “Something is going to have to give. Things can’t continue this way much longer.”

  I looked at her with sympathetic eyes. “I’m so sorry you and William are in such a tough spot. I hope your brother-in-law comes to his senses.”

  “I’ve been praying that he does.” Daphne took a deep breath. “Anyway, I should be getting back home. William is expecting me.”

  She got up from the table. I gave her a hug. “Stay strong. And take care.”

  “I’ll try,” Daphne said.

  As I watched Daphne head toward the front door of the restaurant, I caught sight of an altercation taking place in the parking lot outside. If it wasn’t shocking enough that two men were on the verge of coming to blows in the parking lot, the fact that Chuck Tillman and Trevor Franklin were the ones doing the arguing only made the situation even more incendiary.

  I called out to my friend. “Daphne. Hold on a minute. Don’t go out there yet.”

  Daphne stopped and stared out the front window of the restaurant. “What’s going on out there?”

  “I’m going to find out,” I said. I turned to my husb
and, who was sitting at a table about ten feet away from me. “David, are you seeing this?”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  David and I exited the restaurant and sprinted out to the parking lot.

  “What’s going on out here?” David yelled.

  The moment Trevor and Chuck heard David’s booming voice, they immediately stopped arguing and scrambled to flee the scene.

  For Trevor, making a quick getaway was rather easy. He was already sitting on his motorcycle. He fired up his ignition and sped away.

  That move drew David’s ire. “Hey, where do you think you’re going?”

  With David’s focus on Trevor, Chuck tried to slip away on foot undetected.

  He didn’t make it very far.

  David spotted Chuck and pulled out his gun.

  “Stop right now!” David demanded.

  Chuck stopped dead in his tracks.

  With Chuck going nowhere, David grabbed his radio with his spare hand and spoke into it. “Dispatch. This is Carlson. I need pursuit near Treasure Cove Cantina. Burly male in his early fifties on a black motorcycle heading north on Lantern Drive.”

  A female voice responded over the radio. “Copy that.”

  David put the radio away and approached Chuck.

  I followed David.

  “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do,” David said.

  “Me? What about Trevor?” Chuck asked.

  “Right now I’m focused on you,” David said.

  “Can you put the gun away?” Chuck said.

  “That depends,” David said. “Are you going to try and give me the slip again?”

  Chuck jumped on the defensive. “I wasn’t—”

  “Don’t lie to me. I want to hear nothing but the truth. Got it?” David said.

  Chuck nodded.

  “Good,” David said.

  “So are you going to put the gun away now?” Chuck asked.

  David holstered his pistol.

  Chuck breathed a sigh of relief.

  “It’s time for you to come clean. What were you and Trevor arguing about?” David asked.