“Mr. Stone,” Juniper said, “let’s get you back to town.”
“That would be swell, Junie.” He rubbed his stomach. “I’m getting a little peckish, now that you mention it.”
For her, that blood orange salmon Jack had promised no longer sounded appealing.
Chapter Thirty Five
W hen Juniper got back to the Inn, she dashed up the stairs to look for Jack. He was standing behind the bar working the taps and looking ridiculously sexy.
“Where’s Finn?” She asked, recognizing he was alone.
“I sent him home after Kaden called. He’s been here around the clock. Are you okay?”
Juniper nodded. “We should talk.”
He poured two pints of ale and handed one to Juniper. “So, talk. Harold’s half deaf, he won’t hear anything you say.”
Jack was right. The dining room was full, but the music masked the noise and Harold was the only one at the bar.
“So, did Kaden tell you why I was late.”
Jack gazed at her as he sipped his wine. “He only told me you found something that implicated that Belinda was pregnant with Oliver Stone’s baby.”
Her shoulders sagged in relief. “Good, so you know.”
“Oliver seems like a nice guy, but why didn’t he tell anyone?”
“That bothers me a lot,” Juniper admitted. “Although, maybe he was worried it would put the focus of the investigation on him instead of on the rightful suspect. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not excusing Oliver. But, officially, she was only missing at the time and he thought she ran away to pursue her dream of singing.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “So, what did you find?”
“Actually, it was Oliver’s grandfather, Grant Stone who found the messenger bag in the built-in ironing board cupboard?”
“Messenger bag? Upstairs in the mill?” Jack’s eyes widened. “What was Grant doing there and how did he get upstairs?”
“Beats me. He has an obsession with that place.”
***
Kaden decided another search of the old sawmill was necessary after Juniper swung by the police station to drop off the bag.
So all day Friday, the police conducted an intensive search of Pike’s house. They called in the county crime-scene specialists, who combed through the messenger bag, binder and notebook along with the other odds and ends Belinda had carried with her.
She already knew that inside the roller they’d found traces of blood. But now in the funnel they discovered butterfly hairclips which made Juniper wonder if Belinda’s killer had debated on dropping her body down the funnel, as if she were nothing more than a sack of flour. Obviously, with the grist mill’s power turned off, he had decided on the roller. The thought that someone could be so cold-blooded made Juniper sick.
Chapter Thirty Six
A loud knocking on the apartment door startled Jack and Juniper awake. Juniper hurried into the kitchen and opened the door with a smile. “Hi, what’s up?”
But Eve wasn’t smiling. “Hey, Junie.”
“What’s wrong? Come in.” Juniper grabbed Eve’s hand and pulled her into the kitchen. “Talk to me.”
“It’s Frank Patone,” she said somberly, taking her hand in hers. “Somebody walked into his hospital room an hour ago and killed him.”
“He’s dead?” Jack said, walking into the conversation. He grabbed his cell from the counter and called his cousin, Kaden who reluctantly confided certain details Eve and Mabel hadn’t heard over the police scanner.
“Someone took advantage of a quiet Sunday night at the hospital,” Jack said, after he hung up from talking to Kaden. “They had a bare-bones staff on duty, and I guess it was easy for the killer to slip unnoticed into Frank’s room.”
“What did they do?”
Jack shifted before answering. “The investigators think the guy tampered with his IV tubing.”
“You mean they disconnected it?”
“No, they injected another substance into it.”
Juniper grimaced. “Do they know what it was?”
“They’re not willing to say until they run more tests, but I’m pretty sure they’ll find cyanide.”
Juniper cringed at the word cyanide. “Where would someone get cyanide?”
He shrugged. “Rat poison. Pretty common to find some brands that contain cyanide. The nurse thought Patone was suffocating, so she tried to clear his air passage. But it was no use. His entire body was shutting down, one system at a time. He was dead within minutes.”
Chapter Thirty Seven
B y Monday morning, the news of Frank Patone’s murder was on everyone’s mind. The entire town seemed to be holding its collective breath, worried sick that someone else might die.
Juniper had hated Frank Patone, and she’d wanted him to go away, but she couldn’t ever wish such a horrible death on him. And to have it occur in a hospital—a place where people were meant to feel safe? It was doubly upsetting.
Juniper was finishing up her coffee and croissant at Cookies & Corsets when Ellie walked up to the counter and ordered a tea to go. She slid onto the red vinyl of the stool and turned to Juniper.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
Juniper nodded, then admitted, “I’m a little shaken up.”
“I thought you might be,” Ellie said.
“I guess it’s natural that everyone is looking over their shoulders,” Juniper said. “But I’m pretty sure Frank was the only target. He made a lot of enemies in a very short time.”
She sighed. “I know you weren’t friends with him, but the news was still so shocking.”
They shared what little they each knew about Frank’s death. Ellie had heard the same basic story that Kaden had told Jack. Apparently, Frank’s killer had taken advantage of a slow evening at the hospital with not many staff members on duty. Later that night, someone had reported a pair of scrubs missing from the locker room in a size that would fit a normal-sized male, whatever that meant.
There were no actual suspects so far but having been on the receiving end of Frank Patone’s vitriol, Juniper figured there were probably plenty of folks who were not mourning his loss.
All the anxiety over Frank’s death had made her forget about Belinda for the moment. But now Juniper was unsettled all over again by the fact that Oliver and Belinda might’ve been a couple all those years ago. Unfortunately, Juniper couldn’t share that news with Ellie, because so far it was just a supposition she’d deduced from reading Belinda’s notebook.
Once Ellie and Juniper had exhausted the subject of Frank’s death, they kept their chitchat light, talking about the weekend, the upcoming festival and this and that.
They were headed out the door when they saw a police cruiser pull up. Kaden looked serious when he stepped from his vehicle.
“Kaden, what are you doing here?”
Kaden walked straight up to Juniper and spoke in a low voice. “I’ve got a warrant for the arrest of one of Pike’s customers. I’d appreciate if you would go get him.”
Ellie’s face turned white, and Juniper was afraid hers did, too.
“Are you sure this is necessary?” she asked.
“I’m afraid so.”
She shifted her weight. “Who do you want to see?”
Kaden lowered his voice. “Oliver Stone.”
Someone came out the door just as he said it. They all turned and saw one of the notorious Mabels. She hurried away down the street.
And Juniper knew the news would move faster than a bullet train around town.
“Kaden, why?” Juniper asked.
He pulled her to the side of the shrub, so no one else could eavesdrop.
Juniper understood that Oliver and Belinda had had an affair, but standing here in the light of day, with Kaden about to arrest him, Juniper just couldn’t believe that he could be a killer. “It’s impossible.”
Kaden’s jaw twitched. “You don’t know that.”
“I refuse to believe he killed Belinda.�
��
Pike came outside just as Eve approached from the other direction, looking like a mama bear ready to protect her young. “What’s going on?”
Kaden nodded. “I need you to tell Oliver Stone to come outside or else I’ll have to arrest him in your shop.”
Eve grabbed his arm. “Kaden. Don’t do this. You’re making a mistake.”
Kaden looked down at Eve and frowned. “Now, what in the hell are you doing here?”
“Never mind what I’m doing here.” Eve pointed her finger at Kaden while Juniper smiled. She knew Eve probably overheard it from Mabel and flew down here in defense of Michèle’s new man. Eve stomped her foot, “You worry about arresting an innocent man. How is that gonna look in the headlines?”
“Please, Kaden.” Juniper interjected, “He’s not guilty. He can’t be. He loved her.”
He pointed his finger back at Eve, “I’ll deal with you later.” Then he turned to Juniper, “Junie, the evidence is overwhelming.”
“What evidence? An old notebook? Even if they had been together, it doesn’t mean he killed her. Don’t tell me you found his bloody fingerprints somewhere.”
Kaden glanced around to make sure they weren’t being overheard. “Stone was the father of Belinda’s child. She wrote it down in her notebook.”
Juniper swallowed hard. “But he’s a good man. He wouldn’t hurt her.”
“He was young.” Kaden was speaking carefully. “They were both young. She told him she was pregnant, and maybe he got scared.”
“You don’t know that. Maybe he was happy with the news. Maybe someone else was angry. What about Frank? He was her boyfriend. Wouldn’t he be furious to know she’d been with someone else? I think that would drive him crazy. He’s always had a lot of rage boiling inside him.” Juniper had a sudden thought. “And he was trying to blackmail Michèle! Frank must’ve found out that Oliver was the father of Belinda’s baby.”
“Those are all good points,” Kaden admitted. “But the very fact that Frank tried to blackmail Michèle makes it even more likely that Oliver killed him. If he’s innocent, he’ll be free to go.”
Juniper glanced up and down the street at the gathered officers. Lowering her voice even more, she said, “You’ve come here to drag Oliver out of the town’s hotspot in handcuffs. You’re treating him like he’s a mass murderer. It’s going to ruin his reputation. Can’t you at least wait until after the busy bodies are all at work?”
“Trust me to handle this, Junie.”
“We trust you to ruin things,” Eve blurted.
Juniper stared at him for a long moment and then nodded and stepped back. What else could they do?
Pike had been standing off to the side, and Kaden nodded at her. She looked so unhappy, but she dutifully slipped into the cafe and closed the door. Thirty seconds later, she emerged with Oliver right behind her.
“Thank you,” Kaden said to her. She nodded grimly.
Pike stood in front of the door, probably to keep any curious customers from sneaking out.
Oliver glanced from the detective to Pike to Juniper. “What’s going on?”
Kaden pulled a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket. “Oliver Stone, I have a warrant for your arrest in the murder of Belinda Battams.”
Oliver stared at him in horror. “What? Are you serious? No! I didn’t kill Belinda. We were going to be married.”
“You can tell me the whole story down at the station,” Kaden said quietly.
“The station? But I didn’t . . .” His gaze darted around the street until he found Eve.
“I swear I didn’t hurt Belinda, Eve.”
“That’s what Junie’s been trying to explain to the asshat, here,” Eve cut in.
“Eve! Kaden’s a police officer, and he’s family.” Juniper scolded, though she partially agreed at the moment.
“Fine, Mr. Detective Asshat!” Eve said, and crossed her arms.
Oliver stared at the handcuffs and straightened his shoulders. “Those won’t be necessary, Detective Bones. I’ll go with you.”
Kaden took a moment to decide the best way to proceed, then simply led him down the street to the cruiser.
Oliver got seated in the back of the patrol car. Kaden had just started the engine when a silver truck careened into the parking lot and skidded to a stop. Michèle jumped out of the cab of the truck and ran toward the patrol car, screaming,
Kaden tried to waylay her, but she was too quick for them. She grabbed the back-door handle of the car and tried to yank it open, but it was locked. “Let him go!”
“Michèle,” Kaden shouted. “Step away from the car.”
Another officer jumped out of his patrol car and tried to pry her hand off the door handle, but Michèle had adrenaline and panic on her side. He couldn’t budge her.
“Everybody, step back!” Kaden yelled, clearly annoyed with the breakdown in order. “Michèle, calm down!”
Michèle whipped around. “I did it! Arrest me. I killed Belinda. I—I was jealous of her and Oliver, so I killed her.”
Kaden’s gaze narrowed in on her. “Are you confessing to the murder of Belinda Battams?”
Her eyes widened in fear and confusion. “Yes. No. Yes, I did it.”
“Oh, Michèle,” Juniper said. “You didn’t kill Belinda.”
“I did, too,” she insisted.
Kaden nodded at his partner who’d come out of nowhere, he jumped into the patrol car’s drivers seat and took off before Michèle could throw herself in its path.
Michèle whimpered as Oliver was taken away. “He didn’t do it.”
“Did you want me to arrest you?” Kaden asked.
“Yes. Arrest me, not Oliver.”
“Are you just saying that to protect your boyfriend?” he asked.
“Well, somebody has to!” she cried.
“Do you think your boyfriend is guilty?” Kaden asked softly. “Is that why you’re doing this?”
“Guilty?” She looked aghast. “No. Oliver couldn’t hurt anyone.”
“Why was Frank trying to blackmail you?” Juniper asked, then winced at the furious look Kaden gave her.
Michèle answered anyway. “Frank thought Oliver killed Belinda and threatened to tell the police if I didn’t pay him fifty thousand dollars. But he was wrong,” Michèle said, and turned to Kaden. “And so are you, Detective Bones. Oliver didn’t kill Belinda. He loved her.”
Kaden shot her another quick glance, then stared intently at Michèle. “You admit your boyfriend was in love with Belinda Battams?”
“Yes,” she said, as some of her frenzy began to fade. “I was Belinda’s best friend, so I knew how they felt about each other. They were in love and she was going to have his baby.”
“So, you knew she was pregnant?”
She sighed. “Yes, of course I did. I was the one who used to cover for her so she could meet Oliver at the mill.”
“But, then, how did you and Oliver get together?” Juniper wondered aloud.
“We had something in common,” she said softly. “We both missed Belinda, even after all this time. When she disappeared, we were both heartbroken. If I hadn’t moved away right after then maybe it would have happened sooner.”
“If you loved your friend Belinda so much, why would you kill her?” Kaden wondered.
Michèle’s mouth opened, but she couldn’t come up with an answer.
“You did just confess to killing her,” Kaden reminded her.
She blinked, then gazed at Juniper beseechingly.
All Juniper could do was change the subject. “Why did Frank think that Oliver killed Belinda?”
That snapped her back to attention. “Oh. Frank had dated Belinda briefly, but he got it into his head that there was more to the relationship than there really was. He was pushing her to sleep with him, but why would she? He was cheating on her the whole time, so why did he think she owed him anything?” Michèle shook her head in disgust. “But he kept harassing her until she finally insisted that h
e leave her alone. She told him she was seeing someone else.”
“He didn’t believe her,” Michèle continued, “so he started following her. Apparently, according to Frank, he followed her out to the mill one night and saw her with Oliver.”
Juniper gave Kaden a meaningful look. “So, Frank knew he could find Belinda at the mill.”
“I heard what she said, Junie.”
“Just making sure,” Juniper muttered.
Michèle ignored their banter and kept talking. “So, recently, when Belinda’s body was found, Frank put two and two together and came up with five. And that’s when he tried to blackmail us.”
“Because your family has money,” Juniper murmured.
“Right,” she said, disgusted. “I guess he thought I was the weak link who’d give in.”
Kaden scowled. “But now Patone is dead, so nothing adds up.”
Michèle looked completely lost. Juniper wanted to give her a hug, but she knew Kaden would growl at her.
“Michèle,” Kaden said, “I would appreciate your coming down to the station for an in-depth interview. I’ll escort you there.”
Juniper looked around to find a small crowd had gathered on the street. They had seen everything, from Oliver Stone being taken away in a squad car to Michèle arriving and creating a scene. Now Juniper felt even sorrier for her.
As soon as Kaden got into his car, Oliver’s dad Bruce came up and gave Michèle a hug. “It’s going to be okay, dear. They don’t have anything substantial. You and Oliver are innocent and I’ve already called our lawyers.”
Chapter Thirty Eight
K aden and his team questioned Michèle, but she was sent home after a few hours. Oliver was held for two long days before they allowed him to leave. Basically, his lawyers argued that Belinda’s flowery words about Oliver in her notebook did not constitute enough evidence to hold him. Faced with the team of expensive attorneys Bruce Stone had hired to defend Oliver, Kaden had no choice but to let Oliver go with a warning not to leave town.
Crumb Cake, Corpses and the Run of the Mill Page 14
