by Jessica Beck
I shrugged. “Of course I do, but I’m still worried about him getting bored.”
“I imagine that he’s due for a well-deserved rest, but if he starts to grow stale, I’m sure he’ll find something to occupy his time,” Momma said. “He strikes me as being an extremely resourceful fellow.”
“I must say that you’re taking all of this rather calmly.”
“Why wouldn’t I? I learned a long time ago with your father that wishing and fretting about what a man does never seems to change anything. At this moment in time, frozen as it might be, we’re both happy, safe, and healthy. Whatever the next instant brings will be dealt with in its time, and not one second before.”
“My mother, the Zen master,” I said with a smile.
She frowned for a moment, but then allowed a smile to break free. “I thought you knew. I happen to be a woman of many talents.”
“Trust me, I know,” I said. I truly enjoyed being in my mother’s presence, something I always realized especially so during our brief visits.
Momma glanced at the clock and dusted off her hands as though they were still coated in flour. “Suzanne, I’d better leave. You are going to need your sleep, and I’m sure that we’ll speak again tomorrow.”
“You can bet on it. Oh, and thank you for the cherry pie.”
“You’re very welcome,” Momma said, and then she surprised me by taking both of my hands in hers. “Suzanne, we might not still see each other every day, or even talk on the phone, but you are always in my thoughts, and in my heart as well.”
“You are in mine, too,” I said, and then I hugged her fiercely. It never felt odd when I towered over her. Somehow I seemed to shrink in her embrace as she enveloped me with her arms.
After Momma was gone, I was tempted to have a taste of that pie, but in the end I decided that what I really needed was a quick shower and some much-needed sleep.
Besides, I could always have a slice for breakfast in the morning.
Jake hadn’t gotten to the cottage by the time I got up, but I hadn’t really expected him to be there. I jotted down a quick note welcoming him back and put it near the front door where he’d be sure to find it the first thing. Then it was off to make donuts and see what my day had in store.
“Good morning, Emma. It’s so nice having you back where you belong,” I said as I greeted my assistant when she walked in the door an hour after I’d arrived at Donut Hearts, per our usual early morning work schedule. “I honestly wasn’t expecting to see you today.”
“Truthfully, I was going a little stir crazy just sitting around the house,” she confessed. “You don’t mind, do you?”
I hugged her as I said, “Of course I don’t. I’m thrilled to have you.”
“Besides,” Emma said with the hint of her old smile as she pulled away, “Mom and I both felt guilty about you paying two salaries when only one of us was working.”
“I was happy to do it. If that’s the only reason you’re back, why don’t you go on home and come in when you feel up to it?”
“Suzanne, I was just teasing you. Honestly, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here with you.”
“The same goes for me, only double,” I said. “I was just about to do my cake donut drop, so you might want to head out and get everything ready out front.”
“Gladly,” she said, and soon she disappeared up front. I wasn’t sure about her being back at work so soon, but she looked a great deal better than she had the night before. Maybe speaking with Grace and me had been somehow cathartic for her. As I dropped a batch of plain old-fashioned cake donut batter into the oil, I marveled at how resilient my assistant seemed to be. I waited the requisite time, going more by experience than my timer, and flipped the donuts with the long wooden skewers I used when one side had completed its cycle. Soon they were all fully cooked, so I pulled the steaming donuts out and put them directly on a drip tray, skipping the glazing step altogether on that batch. Don’t get me wrong; I love making fancy donuts. They are fun to create and decorate, but there’s also something that satisfies my soul about making plain cake donuts with no embellishments at all.
After I’d finished making all of the cake donuts—plain, flavored, and fancy—I poked my head out of the kitchen and found Emma sitting on one of the couches, staring off into space.
“Hey, are you okay?”
My question startled her. “I’m fine. I was just sitting here thinking about what’s been happening lately, and I must have lost track of time.”
“Are you up to doing some dishes?” I asked gently.
Emma hopped up with a smile on her face. “Are you kidding? What could be more therapeutic than plunging my arms up to my elbows in warm soapy water? I’m raring to go.”
“Then you’re in luck, because I’ve got a stack of dirty dishes waiting for you in the other room.”
As Emma washed the first round of pots and pans, I worked on prepping the dough for the yeast donuts, the second part of our baking day. It was like running two completely separate businesses, and I knew that some donut shops had begun to focus on one type or the other, but I knew that I’d never be able to do that to my customer base. I had equal numbers of fans for my cake and my yeast donuts, and as long as matters stood there, I’d keep making both kinds.
Once the giant ball of dough was ready to rest and raise, I turned to Emma and found that she was just finishing up the last bowl I’d given her to clean. “Are you ready for our break?”
“I’ll be done here in one second,” she said, and I grabbed a portable timer. A moment later, we walked out front together. The front area was dimly lit, and as we made our way out of the shop, I could swear that I saw a figure sitting at the table where we usually took our break together.
Emma started to unlock the door when I said, “Hang on a second,” and I flipped the outside light on to see if I’d been right.
Officer Tyler shielded his eyes from the light. “Would you mind turning that thing off?” he asked.
I did as he requested, and then I turned to Emma before unlocking the door. “Give us a second, would you?”
“Sure,” she said. “Who is that?”
“Chief Martin’s replacement,” I said. “I’ll tell you all about it after he’s gone.”
Emma nodded, and I made my way out the door, being careful to lock it behind me.
“You’re up early,” I said as I studied our soon-to-be new chief of police. “Or have you even been to bed yet?”
“I could ask you the same question,” he said.
“Don’t use me as an example. I’m used to these hours, but that doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”
He hemmed and hawed for a few moments, and then he said, “As a matter of fact, I came to apologize.”
“Really? To me? What for?” I asked him, curious about his motivation.
“I realize that I was probably a little bit too hard on you yesterday. I tend to get that way when I’m under stress, but it’s no excuse. I’ve been told that you can offer a valuable perspective to my job, and I was also informed that I shouldn’t have just blown you off the way that I did.”
“I’m not really sure that there’s much of an apology in there anywhere. Did you come here of your own free will, or did someone suggest that you make amends with me? Perhaps the old chief of police, or maybe even the mayor himself?”
I saw Tyler’s face cloud up, and I realized that I hadn’t been very gracious responding to his apology. Before he could answer, I said, “Forget I just said that. It’s early, or late, or however you might want to categorize it. I appreciate you coming by the donut shop to clear the air.”
“You’re welcome,” he said.
“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be at your other job today?” I asked him, trying not to offend him with my tone of voice.
“Oh, I’m going to, but I had a little time before work, so I thought that it might be a good idea to speak with you first.”
“Would you care
for some coffee or maybe even a donut, since you’re here?” I asked, offering the only real olive branch that I had in my arsenal.
“Thanks, but I don’t like coffee, and I don’t eat donuts, either.”
I pursed my lips as I studied him. “You’re trying awfully hard to get me not to like you, aren’t you? Who doesn’t like coffee and donuts?”
“I didn’t mean any offense by it,” he sputtered.
I let him dangle for a second before I added, “Relax, Chief. I’m just having a little fun with you. Not everyone has to like what I sell here, but it’s nice that some folks do. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“I’ll be here,” he said, and then he silently faded into the darkness. The man was stealthy; I had to give him credit for that.
I didn’t even have to open the door for Emma. She must have been waiting for Tyler to leave, because the moment he was gone, she unlocked the front door and was joining me. “What did he want? Has there been a development about Rick’s murder case?”
I hated to disappoint her, but there was nothing else that I could do. “That wasn’t a professional call; it was more of a personal nature.”
That got her interest immediately. “Does Jake know that he has a rival?”
“It’s not that personal,” I said with a laugh. “Officer Tyler was a little hard on me yesterday, but to his credit, he came by and apologized.”
“So, all is good between you two?” Emma asked.
“I wouldn’t go that far. After all, he turned down my offer of free coffee and donuts. He said that he didn’t like either one of them.”
“You know my philosophy; I don’t trust a man who won’t taste our donuts or drink our coffee,” Emma said rather sternly.
“As much as I appreciate your point of view, not everyone has to like what we do here.”
“Maybe not, but I still think that they should,” Emma said. “Is he working on Rick’s case today?”
“Actually, there’s some good news on that front. Jake actually managed to get us a reprieve of sorts. We’ve got until tomorrow morning before Officer Tyler officially takes over. Until then, Officer Grant is taking over for the chief.”
“Chief Martin is really done, then?” Emma asked me. “I can’t imagine him ever doing anything else. I hope that he doesn’t have any second thoughts about his decision.”
“I don’t think that he will. He seemed pretty sure of himself to me,” I said.
“I’m really happy that Jake is helping out,” Emma said after a few moments. “Not that I don’t have all of the faith in the world in you and Grace. I didn’t mean any offense by it.”
“That’s good, because I didn’t take any,” I answered quickly. “I’m the first person to admit that Grace and I need him for part of our list of suspects. We’re pretty good with normal, everyday folks, but some of your former boyfriend’s acquaintances are a tad bit too dangerous for our tastes.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Emma said. “I kept asking Rick why he chose to hang out with some of the folks he tended to gravitate toward, but I never got a straight answer out of him. You know, I still can’t believe that he’s gone, and in front of half the town at that.”
“It was a bold move, killing him in front of so many witnesses,” I said. “I’m still not sure exactly how the killer managed to do that.”
“Maybe whoever did it was invisible,” she said.
That idea, as silly as it might have sounded on the face of it, managed to strike a chord with me. “Maybe that’s exactly what happened.”
“Suzanne, I was just joking.”
“Be that as it may, it could very well explain how it happened.”
“Now I’m confused,” Emma said as the timer went off. “Rats, now I’ll never know what your theory is.”
I laughed. “Emma, I can tell you inside while we’re working on the yeast dough.” It felt good being in the warmth of the shop again after sitting outside in the cold. The wooly worms, as well as the almanac, had both predicted a long, cold winter for us, with lots of snow. Even if it meant a dramatic drop in business, I was all for it. The park was so lustrous and satiny with a coat of fresh snow on it that I looked forward to an accumulation of the white stuff each and every year.
That wouldn’t be any time soon, though.
Hopefully, before the first snowflake of the season fell, we’d catch our killer.
Chapter 13
“Come on. Don’t leave me hanging, Suzanne,” Emma said after we were both back in the kitchen. “How could a killer be invisible?”
“Well, that’s not entirely what I meant, but it’s on the right track. Think back to Spirit Night. What did you see when you were out in the park?”
“Well, a lot of folks were dressed up in school colors and waving their foam fingers around in the air,” she said.
“And what else?”
“Nothing much, except a bunch of people were dressed up as ghosts.” It took a second for that to sink in, and when it did, she looked at me intently. “Do you think that’s how the killer got away with it?”
“What better disguise to hide behind than a full sheet?” I asked. “I recall that it was tough even figuring out if the ghosts were men or women. Any further positive identification than that was impossible.”
“Do you think that someone planned Rick’s murder all along, or was it just spontaneous?”
“It was probably a little of both, if I’m right,” I said as I uncovered the dough and started prepping it for the next step.
“How is that even possible?” Emma asked, ignoring her workload for the moment.
“I believe that the killer was planning the crime all along, saw a way to wear a disguise, and jumped at the opportunity to use a sheet and blend in with the crowd. You said yourself that you were supposed to meet Rick the night he was murdered, but you couldn’t find him. What if he was being hidden by a sheet himself?”
“Or maybe he was in the bonfire all along,” Emma said soberly.
“I don’t think so,” I said. “I’m betting that it happened just before the fire chief lit it up. If you hadn’t seen Rick’s body there, someone else surely would have.”
“Why would he hide behind a sheet in the first place, if he knew that I was out in the crowd looking for him?” Emma asked me.
“As hard as it might be for you to hear, that may be the very reason that he did it,” I said. “What if he was up to something that he didn’t want to be discovered doing, and the killer took advantage of the situation and murdered him in complete anonymity?”
“If that’s the case, then we’ll probably never find out who did it,” Emma said, clearly deflated by the prospect.
“Don’t be so sure about that. There are a great many folks working to uncover the killer. I’ve got a great deal of confidence that someone’s going to do it.”
“I just hope you’re right,” she said.
If I were being truthful about it, I had to admit that I did, too. I knew that a great many murders went unsolved by professionals, but I had to believe that we had a chance to figure this one out, too, or why else were we even bothering? I couldn’t wait to share my insights with Jake and Grace to get their opinions of my scenario. After all, at the very least it might eliminate some of the folks we were looking at as potential killers.
It wasn’t to be, though.
Fate would find a way to step in and ruin my plans yet again.
My cellphone rang around ten that morning, and I answered it the second that I saw that it was my best friend. “Hey, what’s up, Grace? You’re not on your way so soon, are you?” I liked to tease her about coming to the donut shop and helping me work, and she’d even ventured in once to see how we operated, but Emma hadn’t liked it, in fear that I was going to replace her. Once I’d assured her that was never going to happen, she’d been pleased enough to have Grace there, but it had been a one-time thing.
“That’s the problem. I’ve got to go to Asheville,
so I can’t sleuth with you today.”
“What happened? Is everything all right?”
“It’s fine,” she said, clearly annoyed by her current situation. “One of our district managers two levels above me has a sister who recently moved into the area, and my rep was supposed to drop off a gift bag as a way of welcoming her. She somehow managed to foul it up or she just didn’t do it, so now I have to handle it myself.”
“Is that really part of your job description?”
“No, but it will make my boss happy, and that’s all that I care about. I won’t be back in town until after six tonight. Is that too late to be of any use to you?”
“Don’t worry about it, Grace. It will be fine.”
“Suzanne, you aren’t thinking of doing anything without me, are you?” Her question was deadly serious, a tone of voice that wasn’t typical of Grace.
“We both know that I can’t just stop digging,” I said after a moment’s hesitation. “Hang on one second.” I served a customer, made change, and then got back on the line.
It was dead, though.
I called Grace back, but she didn’t pick up. I was about to redial her number when a local mother with seven sons came in, all of them clamoring for donuts.
“Beth, why isn’t your clan in school?”
She answered me, clearly a little frazzled with her lot. “They all had doctors’ appointments, and I promised them that if they were good, I’d get them all a treat before they had to go back.”
“We got shots,” a little boy about nine proclaimed as he showed off the bandage on his arm.
“You weren’t so brave half an hour ago, Milo,” one of his older brothers said.
“Was, too! Ask Momma. Go on!”
Beth intervened. “Boys, remember what I said earlier; you are all required to be on your best behavior. Now, if you each want a donut, I suggest that you mind your manners.”
At the hint of the threat, the boys settled down immediately. In fact, the oldest, a young man named Gregory, clapped once, and his brothers lined up behind him in a perfect queue. It even looked as though they were in order from oldest to youngest, but I couldn’t swear to it.
