by Jessica Beck
“Excellent,” Grace answered. “I do wish we knew how he died, though. That could really help our investigation.”
“I know that,” I responded. “I take it that you haven’t read today’s paper, either.”
“I find the news too depressing to deal with the first thing in the morning,” Grace replied. “Why, did I miss an ad, or a coupon, or something?”
“Actually, I just heard that Ray published the cause of death in his paper. Rick Hastings was stabbed once through the heart. He died almost instantly.”
“Then it had to have happened in front of everyone in the park,” Grace said. “Who has that kind of luck?”
“What do you mean? I wouldn’t call dying from a stab wound all that lucky.”
“I was talking about the killer getting away with it. We both know from personal experience that the park was crowded last night. How could no one have seen what happened?”
“The police force is going around trying to collect videos and photographs of the event last night. Chief Martin is hoping to catch something that the person doing the filming might have missed.”
Grace’s left eyebrow lifted for a moment. “Is the chief actually confiding in you now?”
“He was here for something else,” I explained. “The news he gave me about Rick Hastings was almost an afterthought.”
“That sounds potentially juicy. Why did he come by Donut Hearts in the first place?”
I just shrugged. “It was just some family stuff. You understand why I shouldn’t say anything more.”
“Completely,” Grace replied with a smile, dropping it instantly. I could have said something to her about my discussion with the chief, but on impulse I’d decided to keep family problems just that, in the family, and while it was true that Grace was my best friend and a sister from another mother, I still didn’t feel right sharing the chief’s concerns about my own mother with her. I just felt fortunate that my best friend understood and accepted my reticence. “So,” Grace said as she rubbed her hands together. “Let’s hear about this list of suspects.”
I pulled out the sheet of paper Sharon had given me and handed it to her. “I can do better than that. I can let you see it for yourself.”
Grace took it from me and studied the names Emma’s mother had written down before looking up at me. “I don’t know Denny West, do you?”
“He’s the one mystery on the list to me, as well,” I said. “Should we tackle him first, or leave him for last?”
“I say we approach the three devils we know before we go after the one that we don’t,” Grace said. “Is that okay with you?”
“Honestly, I’m not all that particular on where we get started. Let’s stop by the bank and drop my deposit off first, and then we can begin sleuthing.”
Grace nodded, and then I saw her staring out the front window for a moment before she spoke again. “Suzanne, can your deposit wait?”
“I suppose so,” I said, curious about her request. “Is there any reason in particular you don’t want to go by the bank first?”
“Isn’t that Kyle’s landscaping truck parked near The Boxcar Grill? If we hurry, we might be able to catch him before he leaves. We can always do your deposit later.”
I shoved the cash, the credit card receipts, and the deposit slip into a bank bag and practically shoved Grace out the front door. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
We didn’t even get inside the diner before Kyle Creasy met us as he trotted down the front steps. “Excuse me, ladies,” he said as he tried to brush past us. Kyle was in his late twenties, but his receding hairline and his weatherworn face belied that fact. His khaki outfit was stained a few places with dirt and grass, but the blemishes almost looked as though they were parts of his uniform.
“Kyle, do you have a second?” I asked him as I turned and followed him back down the steps.
“What’s up, Suzanne?” Before I could tell him, he added, “I haven’t been by the donut shop lately because I’m trying to lose a few pounds. Once I get started on your treats, I have a hard time saying no.”
“It’s not about that,” I said. “Grace and I would love to talk to you about Rick Hastings.”
Kyle’s face shifted into neutral mode the second he heard the man’s name. “Sorry, but I can’t help you.”
“You’re not saying that you didn’t know him, are you?” Grace asked him pointedly.
“No, and don’t put words into my mouth,” Kyle said a little hotly. “I knew Rick, but I can’t say that I’m sorry that he’s gone. He was a troublemaker, and he toyed with people’s affections; I don’t have any patience for that kind of person.”
“Exactly how was he a troublemaker for you?” I asked.
“The man was constantly sticking his nose where it didn’t belong,” Kyle explained. “I’m not even all that surprised that he met the end that he did.”
“That’s kind of harsh, isn’t it?” I asked him.
“I know that I’m not supposed to speak ill of the dead, so sue me.”
“He clearly was on your bad side,” Grace said. “We’re both just wondering why.”
Kyle took a khaki baseball hat from his back pocket, creased the brim once down the middle, and then firmly wedged it into place onto his head. “Why is that?”
“Why is what?” I asked.
“Why do you two want to know?”
I thought about lying to him, but just as quickly, I decided to tell him the truth. “We’re trying to find out who killed him.”
Grace frowned at me, but Kyle did not. “I get it. You’re doing it for Emma, aren’t you?”
I just shrugged. “Why we’re doing it isn’t really all that important.”
“I’m not sure that Emma would agree with you, but that’s none of my business,” Kyle said. “The next time you see her, you should tell that girl that she’s better off without that snake in her life, even though she might not realize it yet. Give her some time and distance, though, and she’ll come around; I guarantee it. There are a lot better choices than she even realizes right under her own nose.”
“You’re not sweet on her yourself, are you?” Grace asked him.
Kyle’s face immediately flushed. “That’s nobody’s business but my own. Now I’ve got to go. I’m going to be late as it is.”
After Kyle was gone, I asked Grace, “How did you know that he liked Emma?”
“It was just a hunch. He sounded a little too overprotective of her to me when he talked about her, don’t you think?”
“Maybe, now that you mention it. That’s good detective work, Grace.”
She saluted me as she added with a smile, “Happy to be of service, ma’am.”
“You can knock off the sarcasm,” I said with a grin. “I was complimenting you.”
“I know, and I appreciate it. Could that be why Kyle might have gotten rid of Rick? Was he making room in Emma’s life for himself?”
“There are easier ways to do that than killing her current boyfriend,” I said.
“Maybe so, but nothing is nearly as effective.”
“True,” I said. “I want to speak with him again later, but for now, I think we should find Travis or Amanda. Any thoughts about them?”
“Flip a coin. I’m feeling lucky either way.”
I considered sharing Emma’s mother’s definition of luck with Grace, but ultimately I decided to keep it to myself.
If what Grace had done had been just luck, I hoped that we were in store for a lot more of it before our investigation was over.
Chapter 7
“Travis, do you have a second?” I asked the construction company owner after Grace and I walked into his small trailer. It was obvious that this was his home base, and I had a hunch that it traveled with him as well when he was on a big job. In one corner were a cot, a hot plate, and a small loveseat, while in the other there stood a desk and three chairs. Everything looked crammed into the small space, and I didn’t know how anyone would e
ver get any work done there. I knew that I’d get claustrophobic in a minute if I had to stay there very long. Then again, I knew that the hours I worked at Donut Hearts would drive most folks quickly out of the donutmaking business, so we each had our own limitations that we were willing to deal with. I’d heard that Travis had two employees, but they must have been out on smaller jobs, because we found him there alone, which was a good thing. I doubted that all five of us would have been able to breathe inside, and at least one of us would have had to sit on the cot.
“Do you need a job done, Suzanne?” Travis asked hopefully. “That cottage of yours is ripe for a remodel, and my team is perfect for the job.”
“My cottage is fine just the way it is, thank you very much,” I said, probably a little curter than I should have been.
“Then the donut shop? I’m not sure what you had in mind, but we can make it work. I guarantee it.”
“Donut Hearts is perfect just the way it stands,” I said a little snippily.
“Hey, no offense intended,” Travis said. He was a big man with scarred meaty hands that testified to his time working construction. To counter his rough exterior, Travis had done his best to cultivate a “good old boy” attitude nearly to perfection, but I could see the hard edge just beneath the surface. “Do you need something then, Grace?”
“Actually, I’ve been playing around with the idea of adding a wing to the back of my house,” she said, catching me off-guard completely. Was it actually true, or was she just using this wild idea as an excuse to speak with the construction company owner?
“Seriously? You’ve come to the right place. I’m pretty booked right now, but I might be able to fit you in, being how you’re a friend and all.” I glanced over at Travis whiteboard display and saw that the three jobs listed there were all crossed off. If he had any work at all scheduled, it wasn’t readily apparent from his list.
“Honestly, I’m more in the planning phase right now,” she said. “In the meantime, we’d like to talk to you about Rick Hastings, though.”
For a moment Travis’ nice exterior slipped, revealing an angry burst toward the deceased rival. “I don’t know what Rick might have told you, but I can promise you that whatever it is, it’s not true.”
“Really,” Grace said, keeping her expression level.
Travis’ face just seemed to brighten even more. “Bring him over here right now. We’ll see if he’ll say to my face whatever it is that he told you. One thing is for sure: I don’t owe him one thin dime, and that’s the truth.”
“Okay. Sure,” I said, adding a tone to my voice that implied I was skeptical about his statement.
The results were even better than I’d been hoping for. “I made the deal without his help! He came sniffing around for a commission, and I sent him packing. He didn’t like it, and he wouldn’t leave. I gave him a little help out the door, and now he’s going around claiming that I assaulted him. Let me clue you in about something. Rick implied that if I paid him money I didn’t owe him, he’d make everything else go away, including the complaint he was about to swear out on me. People have tried to muscle me around before, and it’s never worked out well for them. I expect Rick to drop his phony story soon enough, but in the meantime, that shouldn’t keep you from using me as your contractor. If you need a good architect, I’ve got a guy that I can recommend who’s gangbusters, and we make a great team.”
It was time to step in and tell Travis about Rick. If his behavior was legitimate, he didn’t know that his accuser was dead. “You haven’t heard the news, have you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been holed up in here for the past two days eating out of my fridge and sleeping on the cot to get a bid ready for a big job in Charlotte.” He shuffled a few papers, and then he said, “If your job isn’t that high a priority, I need to get my bid in by five.”
“Rick Hastings was murdered last night,” I said, watching Travis’ face as I spoke.
The builder looked at me sharply before he spoke. “Murdered? No way.”
“It’s true,” Grace said. “Did anyone see you here last night around dusk?”
Travis bit his lower lip, and then he stood, filling part of the trailer with his bulk. “You’re asking me for an alibi? Really? I told you, I was here alone.”
“So you say,” Grace said.
Travis was clearly about to lash out at her when he suddenly had a change of heart. In a calm voice, he told us, “Like I said, I’ve got to get this bid done soon or I’m going to lose the job. If you decide to do your project later, let me know, Grace.”
Travis walked us out of the trailer, and then locked the door behind us after we were outside. I would have liked to speak with him a little longer, but it wasn’t as though we’d had any choice in leaving.
As we were walking back to my Jeep, I asked Grace, “Since when have you been thinking about expanding? You’re rattling around in that big house by yourself as it is. What on earth do you need more room for?”
Grace grinned at me. “I have no idea. It just came to me, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. My, Travis has a bit of a temper, doesn’t he?”
“He tries to project a genial façade to the world, but I’d hate to cross him.”
“Do you mean like Rick Hastings did?” Grace asked me. “I can’t believe that Travis told us all of that about their squabbles.”
“Maybe he knew that we’d find out sooner or later, so he went ahead and laid it out for us himself,” I said. “It would be a savvy thing to do.”
“Maybe so, but does Travis strike you as the shrewd type?” Grace asked me.
“I don’t know yet. He’s hard to read.”
“At any rate, we have a pair of motives for him now.”
It was time to ask her something that I’d been dreading. “Grace, do you have any problem with me sharing what we’ve learned so far with the police chief?”
“No, by all means, tell him everything. I fully realize that we entered a new stage the day he married your mother. Who knows? Maybe it will help him in his investigation.”
I dialed the chief’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. I left a message. “This is Suzanne. Call when you get a chance. No urgency, I just want to bring you up to speed.”
“He didn’t answer,” I said as I put my phone away.
“So I gathered. Now what?”
I thought about it, and then I said, “Well, we can speak with Amanda if we can find her, or we can try to track down Denny West.”
“Do you mind if we grab a bite to eat first?” Grace asked. “I’m starving.”
“Sure. How’s the Boxcar sound? I know we made it part of the way up the steps earlier. Maybe this time we can make it all the way inside.”
Grace grinned. “I love Trish’s food. Let’s go. Maybe while we’re there, we’ll be able to figure out how we’re going to find our last two suspects.”
“We could always just ask Trish,” I suggested as we got into my Jeep and drove over to the diner. “After all, she knows just about everybody around town.”
“If they live around here in the first place,” Grace said.
“If they don’t, I’m sure that we’ll have friends in other places who might be able to help us. Between the two of us, we know a lot of people in our part of North Carolina.”
“Then again, we could always just do an Internet search on my phone,” Grace suggested.
“I suppose we could approach it that way, but what fun would that be?”
“Is that why we’re doing this; for fun?” my best friend asked me.
“No, I realize more than most that this is serious business. Go on. Work your Internet magic and find out all you can about Amanda and Denny.”
“I’m on it,” Grace said as she started typing into her cellphone. Grace was a whiz at Internet searches, and while I appreciated the technology and her mastery of it, I basically just used my phone to make calls and send texts. Then again, I had a pr
etty basic unit, while Grace’s company provided her with advanced equipment that was up to date and capable of running the Space Shuttle, for all I knew.
“Hey there,” Trish said as Grace and I walked in a few minutes later. “Didn’t I see you two outside earlier?”
“Wow, you don’t miss a beat, do you?” I asked her with a smile. “Yes, we were here, but we suddenly got distracted.”
“I saw you talking to Kyle. What was that about?”
Did this woman miss anything within her realm? I just shrugged. “You know, just stuff.”
Trish lowered her voice and took a step closer. “You two are investigating Rick’s murder, aren’t you?”
I looked around and saw a few customers listening to us intently, though they pretended not to be. April Springs was a small town, and while I usually loved that fact, sometimes it could be a nuisance having everyone know my business. Instead of answering, I winked at her, hoping that no one else could see it.
“Got it. Touch base with me later,” Trish whispered. “Sit anywhere; one place is as good as the next,” she added loudly, and Grace followed me to a table against the back wall. It was the only chance we’d have any privacy at all in the dining car, and I still didn’t like our odds.
A minute later, Trish showed up with two glasses of iced sweet tea. “I took a guess about what you wanted to drink. Is sweet tea okay?”
“Better than okay,” I said as I took a sip of mine. The cool purity of the sweetened tea slid down beautifully, and I quickly took another, bigger sip. “That’s wonderful.”
“We aim to please. What’s Grace so wrapped up in?” Trish asked as she topped off my glass.
I was about to answer when my friend did it herself. “It’s just work stuff,” she replied as she glanced up and smiled at Trish. “Suzanne can order for me, too. I’ll have whatever she’s having.”
It was my turn to grin now. “Wow, I could be really mean right now, but I think I’ll stick to the usual: a cheeseburger and fries, please.”
Grace looked up again long enough to hold two fingers up in the air. “Like I said, make that two.”
