Sabrina Carlson Cozy Mystery Anthology

by Meredith Potts

  “I’m so sorry,” I said.

  David wiped his eyes and then sniffled before responding, “You know, there are a lot of ways for a cop to die. But a fire? That’s completely unexpected.”

  I wrapped my arms around him. “I know. It’s a terrible way to go.”

  “Especially considering everything he’s been through during his time on the force. I mean, he’s been attacked, he’s been shot at, and he’s stared down all kinds of danger over the years. So, for him to survive all that only to die in a house fire is just crazy.”

  I nodded. “It really is.”

  “Plus, he was a young guy,” David said. “I mean, I’m older than him.”

  “So am I.”

  “Yet, he’s gone forever.” He shook his head. “It’s not fair. And it’s not right.”

  “I agree.”

  David took a deep breath, but didn’t respond to me.

  I then opened my mouth to speak. Unfortunately, no words came out.

  Finally, after a few seconds, I untied my tongue.

  “You know, I keep trying to figure out the right thing to say. But I think the reason I’m having such difficulty is because there aren’t any words that can express how sad this is.”

  “There really aren’t,” David said.

  “Honestly, there’s only thing that keeps popping into my mind over and over,” I said. “I’m so incredibly sorry.”

  David exhaled. “So am I.”

  My husband then rested his head on my shoulder as we continued to hold each other. Even though we’d have to pull back eventually, David wasn’t ready to let me go quite yet.

  Chapter Nine

  An arson investigator would sift through the ashes and the charred remains of the house to determine the cause of the fire. As for the body that was found inside the home, the medical examiner transported it over to the morgue. The coroner needed to run some tests to be able to verify if the deceased really was Rick Peterson.

  That would take a little while. Especially given the condition of the body. Knowing that it could be several hours before any answers were available, David realized the best course of action was to head home and get some sleep.

  In the morning, both the coroner and the arson investigator would most likely have results to share with us. Not surprisingly, I didn’t get much sleep that night. Neither did David. Even so, I was glad that I didn’t pull an all-nighter. Any amount of shuteye was better than none. Besides, I had the feeling that I would need all the energy I could muster in the next few days.

  When David rolled out of bed, he grabbed his phone and made a few calls. Unfortunately, our worst fears ended up being confirmed. After completing a number of tests, the coroner was able to identify the body. It was Rick Peterson.

  As disturbing as that information was, the examiner had more to share with David. Strangely enough, smoke inhalation hadn’t caused Rick’s death. Nor had the burns on his body. Instead, Rick had died from a stab wound in his chest that had been inflicted prior to the fire taking place.

  If that news didn’t throw David and I for enough of a loop, the arson investigator had some peculiar findings of his own. According to the investigator, he had every reason to believe that the fire had been set intentionally.

  When David got off the phone, he was visibly shaken. He was also very quiet. I understood why. This was a lot to process all at once. But while my husband took a few moments to let things sink in, I had a completely different reaction. I began blurting out everything that came into my mind.

  “This is so awful. I’m absolutely heartbroken. At the same time, I’m also really angry. I mean, it would be one thing if Rick’s death had been an accident. If it had been caused by faulty wiring or something. For him to have been stabbed—that’s just crazy,” I said.

  “I can think of another word for it,” David said.

  “I’m sure several words come to mind—”

  David put his head in his hands. “I can’t believe he’s really dead.”

  I put my arm over his shoulder. “I’m so sorry. This is just devastating news.”

  David put his hands down and stared off into the distance. “Unfortunately, after everything I learned, I don’t even have time to properly grieve Rick’s death. Instead, I have work to do.”

  “I know. If the coroner is correct, it means Rick was murdered,” I said.

  “Not just that. After all, the killer didn’t just stab Peterson. They also set his house on fire to cover their tracks. That’s an entirely new level of crazy.”

  I nodded. “It sure is.”

  “I’m glad the fire department got to the house when they did,” David said. “Can you imagine if they had shown up even fifteen minutes later?”

  “All the evidence could have burned up.”

  “Exactly,” David said. “And we’d have no idea that Rick had been murdered.”

  “Which means the killer probably would have gotten away.”

  David shook his head in disbelief. “What kind of a maniac does something like this? I mean, it takes a seriously twisted mind to come up with such a devious plan.”

  I took a deep breath before replying, “It’s truly disturbing.”

  “It sure is.”

  “Which gives us all the more reason to track this person down and put them behind bars as soon as possible.”

  Resolve came to my husband’s face. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. No one kills my friend and gets away with it.”

  “I know you’re going to do everything you can, but my instincts are telling me this case won’t be easy. After all, Rick wasn’t just one of your friends. He was also a cop. Which makes the pool of potential suspects wider than with most cases.”

  “I can’t argue with that. Peterson arrested a lot of people over the years.”

  “He did, but I was actually talking about something else.”

  David squinted. “What do you mean?”

  “What if there’s a killer out there targeting police officers?” I asked.

  He winced. “There’s a horrifying thought.”

  “I hope I’m wrong. But I can’t dismiss that theory either. Which is why we’re going to have to approach this case with extreme caution.”

  “I agree,” David said.

  Chapter Ten

  Just as David and I were trying to come to grips with the news, my husband got a call on his police radio. It was Deputy Tyler McMurray, who was doing a morning patrol of Rick’s neighborhood. According to the deputy, Rick’s brother, Justin Peterson, had just shown up on Rick’s street, looking for answers.

  David told the deputy that he would be right over. My husband and I left the police station and darted over to Lassen Drive. When we arrived, another surprise was waiting for us. We didn’t just see Deputy McMurray and Justin Peterson in front of the charred remains of Rick’s house.

  There was a third person there as well. David recognized her. She was Melinda Bagley, Rick’s girlfriend.

  Talk about an emotionally-charged scene. As David and I got out of the car, we knew this upcoming conversation would be heartbreaking.

  Melinda spoke first. The forty-two-year-old had a trim body, long blond hair, and a pained look in her blue eyes. “When I turned on the TV this morning, there was a news story about the fire. Once the story finished, I immediately started calling Rick, but he didn’t pick up. So, I rushed over here.”

  “Same here,” Justin said. The brown-haired thirty-six-year-old had a muscular figure and a square face. There was also a look of desperation in his hazel eyes. “The news story didn’t mention if a body had been found. And the deputy wouldn’t tell us anything. We’re hoping you can give us answers.”

  “Was Rick inside the house when it caught fire?” Melinda asked.

  “If so, did he make it out in time?” Justin added.

  “Is he in the hospital now?” Melinda asked. “Please say yes.”

  David grimaced. He then opened his mouth to reply, but no
words came out.

  “Detective, say something. I need to know what happened,” Melinda said.

  It took a few seconds, but David found a way to untie his tongue. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I have terrible news to share with you.”

  “How terrible?” Melinda asked.

  David winced. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just come out with it. Rick is dead.”

  Justin lowered his head. Melinda, meanwhile, put her hand over her mouth as her eyes began to tear up.

  I grabbed a tissue from my purse and handed it to her.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said.

  Melinda wiped her eyes and shook her head. “No. This can’t be.”

  “I’m afraid it’s the truth,” David said. “He was inside the house when it caught fire and didn’t make it out.”

  “This is just so awful. I can’t believe it,” Justin said.

  David winced. “Unfortunately, there’s more that I need to tell you.”

  Justin squinted. “What do you mean?”

  “The fire, it was set intentionally,” David said.

  “What?” Justin said.

  David held his hand up. “That’s not all. When the coroner examined your brother’s remains, he discovered a stab wound in Rick’s body.”

  “Wait a minute. Are you saying that someone murdered Rick?” Justin asked.

  David nodded.

  Justin threw out his arms. “But who? And why?”

  “We’re working on that part,” David said.

  I stared at Justin. “Maybe you could help.”

  Justin’s eyebrows knitted. “I don’t understand.”

  “I know this is an awful time for both of you. And if it wasn’t really important, I would save this topic for another time. But a killer is on the loose. And the sooner we find them, the better. So, if you could answer some questions, it would be really helpful to us,” I said.

  Melinda’s nose scrunched. “What sort of questions?”

  “Can you think of anyone who had a reason to want Rick dead?” I asked.

  “Of course. He put dozens of people behind bars. I’m sure all of them have dreamt about getting revenge on him,” Justin said.

  “I can’t argue with that,” I said. “But I was actually referring to Rick’s personal life. Was there anyone he was having problems with?”

  Melinda nodded. “Yes.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “His ex-girlfriend, Vikki Delaney,” Melinda said.

  “Why her?” I said.

  “Rick broke up with her over a year ago, but she’s still hung up on him,” Melinda said.

  “In that case, we will pay her a visit,” I said.

  David pulled out a pen and a pad of paper from his pocket. After scribbling down Vikki’s name, he looked up at Justin and Melinda again. “Does anyone else come to mind?”

  Justin shook his head. “No.”

  David looked at Melinda. “Can you think of anyone?”

  “No,” Melinda said.

  “All right,” David said. He then focused on Justin. “When was the last time you spoke with him?”

  “Yesterday,” Justin said.

  “What sort of a mood was he in?” David asked.

  “He seemed to be just fine,” Justin said. “If something was bothering him, he certainly hid it really well.”

  David looked at Melinda next. “And how about you? When was the last time you spoke to Rick?”

  “I called him on my way home from work last night,” Melinda said.

  “Did he sound troubled to you?” David asked.

  Melinda shook her head. “Not at all.”

  “This call of yours. What time did it occur?” David asked.

  “Around eight. Maybe eight-fifteen,” Melinda said.

  “That’s pretty early in the evening,” David said. “What did you do with the rest of your night?”

  “I actually went to bed pretty early,” Melinda said.

  “Is that so?” David asked.

  Melinda nodded. “It was a rough day at work, so when I got home, I heated up some dinner really quickly, took a bath, and then called it a night.”

  David scribbled a note down on his pad of paper before turning to Justin. “How did you spend your evening?”

  Justin replied, “I watched the Marauders game.”

  “At a bar?” David asked.

  Justin shook his head. “At home.”

  “By yourself?” David asked.

  Justin nodded.

  Just as David opened his mouth to ask another question, he saw Melinda begin to shake.

  “I’m sorry, but I have to get out of here,” Melinda said. “Just looking at Rick’s house, knowing that he died in there, it gives me the creeps.”

  “I understand,” David said. “Do you want me to have Deputy McMurray drive you home?”

  Melinda shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. But thank you for the offer.”

  Justin spoke up. “I can’t be here any longer either. I want to go home.”

  “All right,” David said. “You’re free to go.” He grimaced. “You both have my sympathy. Please know we’re going to do everything we can to catch the person who did this.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Justin and Melinda both drove away from Rick’s house, leaving David and I to contemplate our next step. With a case like this, it was especially difficult to transition into investigative mode. Rick’s murder was just so devastating. At the same time, I had to find a way to get ahold of myself. There was a job to be done. The killer was out there somewhere. And they needed to be found. So, despite how emotional I was, I made a vow not to stop until the guilty party was in custody. I knew David felt the same way.

  Now, I’m fully aware of what you’re probably thinking. You completely understand why David was so determined to bring the killer to justice. But me, the general manager of a coffee shop, solving crimes? What business did I have investigating a murder?

  Trust me, no one was more surprised about that than me. When I was younger, it certainly wasn’t something I ever thought I would do with my life. Yet, there I was, embroiled in another case.

  Like so many things in life, I ended up stumbling into a side-career as an amateur sleuth. It all began a little more than twenty-five years ago. I was at work one morning, taking the trash to the dumpster when I spotted my friend Andrew Stewart’s dead body in the back alley behind Daley Buzz. The first few days after Andrew’s murder, I was too stricken with grief to do much of anything. But when nearly a week went by without the police apprehending anyone, a new reality set in. What if the case went cold?

  It was painful to even think about. After all, losing Andrew was bad enough. So, the thought of his killer getting away with murder was just too terrifying for me to allow.

  I decided to take matters into my own hands and do some investigating of my own. Much to my surprise, I proved to be rather good at it. Thanks to my sleuthing, the killer was brought to justice. After that, it became clear that I had some strong investigative instincts.

  As time went by and more murders began occurring around town, those instincts ended up coming in handy. At first, both my husband and the police chief put up a great deal of resistance to me getting involved in future investigations. But when my instincts continued to produce case-breaking results, they began to realize just how valuable my sleuthing skills truly were. These days, when a murder occurred, the police department took me on as a consultant.

  ***

  Before David and I began interviewing suspects, there were a lot of things for us to wade through. When talking to a possible killer, it was important to be armed with all of the information that we could. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to have as much leverage as possible.

  First, we compiled a list of all of the perpetrators that Peterson had arrested in the last few months. In addition, David pulled up the records of ex-convicts who were out on parole and had a reason to want Rick dead.<
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  Thankfully, the list wasn’t terribly long. That said, there were still enough names to keep us busy for a while. After all, even though Treasure Cove wasn’t a crime-riddled town, it also wasn’t devoid of law-breakers either.

  I wish I could tell you that all of Rick’s enemies were people he had put behind bars. That wasn’t the case, though. There was also a big red flag in his personal life as well. Namely, his ex-girlfriend.

  As I looked at the complete list of suspects, it took me a moment to figure out who to question first. The longer I stared at the list, the more Trevor Bailey stood out to me. He was a delivery driver at Treasure Cove Pizza. A number of weeks ago, Deputy Peterson had arrested him on drug charges. Since his arrest, Trevor had been arraigned and was currently awaiting trial. Most importantly, since the judge did not view Trevor as a flight risk, he was currently out on bail.

  If Trevor was convicted on the charges of cocaine possession and intent to distribute, he could face over ten years in jail. That wasn’t just a sizable amount of potential prison time. It also meant that Trevor had plenty of reason to hate Rick.

  When I floated Trevor’s name as a good place to start this investigation, David didn’t argue with me. Instead, my husband and I headed over to Trevor’s place of employment, hoping we could catch up with him there.

  Unfortunately, Trevor wasn’t at work. We were able to speak with his boss, however. And that conversation proved to be quite enlightening.

  ***

  Once we finished our conversation with the manager of Treasure Cove Pizza, we took Route 32 to Monroe Street. My emotions swelled as we approached Trevor’s house. I loathed this area of town. There was a very good reason for that. A little over thirty-five years ago, my sister had been murdered in this neighborhood.

  As usual, being back in the Northeast side of town dug up some awful memories. I tried to push the past aside and focus on this current case, but I had difficulty doing so.

  David looked over at me from the driver’s-side of his car. Concern filled his eyes as he spoke. “Are you thinking about your sister?”