“But some days are harder than others.”
“That’s understandable,” I said. “Just hang in there.”
“I have actually found that staying busy keeps the demons from coming out.”
I crossed my fingers. “Hopefully one day they will leave you alone altogether.”
“That’s what I pray about every night.”
“Here’s hoping that your prayers are answered,” I said.
Chapter Six
I bought a lottery ticket and walked out of the mini-mart. As I approached my car, I spotted Diane Tuttle filling up her vehicle at one of the nearby pumps. Diane was a trim forty-eight-year-old who had long blond hair, blue eyes, and a love for floral-print dresses. If her last name rang a bell, it was because Diane was Wally Tuttle’s wife. The happy couple had been married for five years.
I headed over to speak with Diane, but she was lost in thought. To the point where she didn’t even notice me coming up to her.
I waved and smiled at her. “Morning Diane.”
Diane was so startled by my presence that she nearly jumped out of her shoes. “Sabrina! I didn’t see you there.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. You just scared me,” Diane said.
“I meant, is everything okay in your life? You seem awfully jumpy.”
“It has just been a weird couple of days.”
“Do you want to elaborate?”
She shook her head. “Not really.”
I didn’t expect Diane to be so abrupt. She typically wasn’t so closed off. But since she was clearly going through a tough time, I cut her some slack.
“Fair enough,” I said. “But if you change your mind and want to talk about it—”
“I know you’ll be there for me,” Diane said.
“Of course. That’s what friends are for.”
Diane pointed at her car. “Anyway, I should be going.”
“Okay,” I said. “I hope the rest of your day goes well.”
“I pray that it does,” Diane said.
Diane finished pumping her gas then got into her car and drove away.
Meanwhile, I stood beside my sedan and wondered what had made Diane so rattled.
Chapter Seven
After pulling my head out of the clouds, I headed over to my family’s coffee shop. As expected, when I entered the front door of Daley Buzz, Shannon Marlowe and Kelly Hogan were sitting at a table, sipping their customary lattes. I could almost set a clock by their morning caffeine cravings. The moment they spotted me, they abandoned their small talk and immediately brought up the incident that had taken place at Daphne Alford’s house.
“I heard there was some serious drama last night,” Shannon said.
“Unfortunately,” I said.
“You sound like you don’t want to talk about it,” Kelly said.
“What I want is for crazy things like this to stop happening,” I said.
Shannon stared off into the distance. “A peaceful Treasure Cove. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“Please tell me you have some sort of good news to share with me,” I said.
Kelly shook her head. “Not really.”
I glanced at Shannon. “How about you?”
“I have news,” Shannon said. “Although, I wouldn’t say it’s good.”
I grimaced. “Uh-oh.”
Shannon held her hand up. “Don’t worry. No one died or anything crazy like that.”
“That’s a relief,” I said. “What’s going on then?”
“So get this. Last night, my son told me he shouldn’t have to bother with his arithmetic homework anymore because he’ll never use math in his future career,” Shannon said.
Kelly squinted. “But I thought he wanted to be an astronaut when he grows up.”
“Yeah. I’m pretty sure astronauts do a lot of math,” I wisecracked.
Shannon held her hand up. “Eric doesn’t want to be an astronaut anymore.”
Kelly’s nose scrunched. “Since when?”
“Since he changed his mind,” Shannon said.
“Again?” Kelly asked.
“What do you expect? He’s eleven-years-old. At that age, no one knows what they are going to do for a living,” Shannon said.
“I wish I could agree,” I said. “My daughter is dead set on being a detective.”
“Yeah? Well your daughter is unique,” Shannon said.
Kelly held her pointer finger up. “I’d say your entire family is unique.”
“I’m not sure if that’s meant to be a compliment or not, but I’m going to take it as one,” I said.
“Of course it was a compliment,” Kelly said.
“Well thank you.” I then switched my focus from Kelly to Shannon. “Back to Eric for a second, though. What career path is he choosing that doesn’t require math?”
“That’s the wacky part,” Shannon said. “He wants to be a professional video gamer.”
Kelly’s forehead wrinkled. “That’s not a career.”
Shannon corrected her. “Believe it or not, there are actually a number people in the world who make a living playing video games.”
“There are also a number of people who make a living playing professional baseball. But for every kid who grows up wanting to play in the majors, most discover that they just aren’t good enough,” I said.
“That’s why Eric insists that he should be able to play video games as long as he wants. So he can get really good at them,” Shannon said.
“I have to admit. Your son sure is creative at concocting excuses to avoid doing homework. Maybe he should become a writer and put that creativity to work,” I joked.
Shannon grimaced. “It turns out becoming a successful writer isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do either.”
“So true,” I said.
“So what’s the end of the story?” Kelly asked. “Were you able to get Eric to do his math homework?”
Shannon nodded. “I had to put up with a lot of kicking and screaming, but yes. I finally got him to put his controller down and do his arithmetic.”
“Good. If he stopped doing his math homework just because he didn’t want to, then what would be next? Refusing to do his science homework as well?” I asked.
“Or any homework at all,” Kelly added.
Shannon rubbed her forehead. “What a disaster that would be.” She took a deep breath. “But don’t worry. I set him straight.”
“What did you tell him?” I asked.
“That life isn’t always about getting your way,” Shannon said.
I exhaled. “It sure isn’t.”
Shannon stared deep into my eyes. “Sabrina, are you sure you don’t want to talk about what happened last night?”
“I’m positive,” I said.
“All right. Well if you change your mind, just let me know,” Shannon said.
“Yeah. We’re here for you,” Kelly said. “Speaking of, I think you could really use an aura cleanse.”
“Thanks for offering. But I don’t think it’s my aura that needs cleansing. I’m more concerned about the lowlifes in town that keep stirring up trouble,” I said.
“Fair enough. But it’s a new day. Maybe things will finally quiet down around here,” Kelly said.
Chapter Eight
The universe had its own plans. Unfortunately, that included throwing Wally Tuttle’s life into disarray. As my old friend entered Daley Buzz that morning, he looked like he hadn’t slept a wink the night before. His hair was messy. There was stubble on his face. And his eyes were bloodshot.
By then, Shannon and Kelly had both headed off to work, so I approached Wally alone.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I need some coffee,” Wally said.
“Are you sure that coffee is the only thing you need?”
“No,” he said. “But it’s a start.”
“What’s the matter? Did you not sleep well?”
“Honestly, I barely slept at all last nigh
t.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. “How about your wife?”
He squinted. “What about her?”
“I ran into her at the gas station earlier and she seemed awfully jumpy. Is everything all right with you two?”
His eyes widened. “Wait. She didn’t tell you what happened?”
I shook my head.
“That’s strange. She must be more rattled than I even thought.”
I threw out my arms. “Wally. Will you please tell me what’s going on?”
“Oh. Right.” He took a deep breath. “Yesterday, when Diane was out shopping, she spotted Jennifer—”
My forehead wrinkled. “Jennifer? As in—”
“Jennifer Hollenbeck,” Wally said. “My ex-wife.”
My jaw dropped. “But I thought she was in prison.”
Six years ago, Jennifer discovered that Wally had been cheating on her with Diane. There were a number of ways that Jennifer could have reacted to this news. She chose to attack Diane and Wally. Luckily, David arrived on the scene in time to stop things from turning fatal.
Jennifer was subsequently arrested on charges of assault. She ended up receiving a ten-year prison sentence. In addition, Diane and Wally filed a restraining order against Jennifer. Per the judge’s orders, Jennifer couldn’t be within one-hundred-feet of either Diane or Wally. So for Diane to have spotted Jennifer yesterday, was shocking for two reasons. First, that Jennifer was no longer behind bars. And second, that she might have violated the terms of her restraining order.
“She was in jail,” Wally said. “But she got out.”
Had Jennifer broken out of prison? A shiver went down my spine as I thought about that terrifying possibility.
“But how did she—?”
Wally didn’t let me finish my question. “Here’s the crazy part. The parole board let her out early because of good behavior.”
My eyebrows rose. “Are you serious?”
“I can hardly believe it myself. But I called the parole board yesterday and they filled me in on the details,” Wally said.
“Wow. That’s insane. I don’t even really know what to say to that,” I replied.
“Welcome to my world.”
I took a deep breath before replying, “So when Diane saw your ex-wife yesterday, did Jennifer say anything to her?”
Wally shook his head. “No. Apparently, Jennifer kept her distance.”
I exhaled. “Good.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure Jennifer wanted to get closer. But apparently, she followed the terms of the restraining order and peacefully headed back to her car before driving away,” Wally said.
“What a relief,” I said. “Although, I can’t help but wonder what her plans are now that she’s out of jail.”
“Which is exactly why Diane and I are so rattled. I mean, you know my ex-wife. She’s capable of anything.”
“You can say that again.”
“I’d prefer not to.” He groaned. “I’m so mad at that parole board for letting her out.”
“I agree. But they already made their decision.”
Wally nodded. “True. And all I can do now is pray for the best.”
I bit the corner of my lip. “Actually, there is one more thing that can be done.”
He shrugged. “What’s that?”
Chapter Nine
It was one thing to hope that things would work out. It was another to take action. David and I decided to do the latter. After that close call with Eric Alford the night before, we didn’t want to leave anything up to chance when it came to Jennifer Hollenbeck.
David and I headed over to the east side of town. A few minutes later, David turned onto Orchard Drive and pulled up in front of Jennifer’s apartment complex. It was a charmless place. But the cost of rent was low, so there was no shortage of tenants there. As a matter of fact, it was such a cheap complex that a number of ex-convicts lived there.
David knocked on Jennifer’s door, but she didn’t immediately open up. Instead, it took two sets of knocks before Jennifer came to the door. And when she did answer, a smile was far from her face. Not surprisingly, the curvy, curly-haired forty-seven-year-old had no interest in speaking with us. There was a cold look in her brown eyes. As I glanced at her round face, she stared back at me with disdain.
So it was no surprise when the conversation quickly turned confrontational.
“What’s the big idea, showing up on my doorstep uninvited like this?” Jennifer said.
“Miss Hollenbeck, I don’t know why you seem so surprised to see us,” David said.
“Well I am,” Jennifer said. “I have no idea what you’re doing here.”
“We heard you ran into Diane Tuttle yesterday—”
“Will you please leave me alone?” Jennifer said.
“We will. When we’re confident that you’ll keep your distance from Wally and Diane,” David said.
“I plan to. For example, the minute I spotted Diane, I turned around and walked away. Now why don’t you do me a favor and get lost?” Jennifer asked.
David squinted. “You seem to be in a hurry to get rid of us.”
“I just think it’s ridiculous that you’re even here. After all, I haven’t done anything wrong,” Jennifer said.
David stared her down. “Not yet.”
Jennifer threw her arms out in a huff. “Do you really believe I would try to harm them?”
“Why wouldn’t you?” David asked. “I mean, given your history—”
“The key word there being history. As in, past tense,” Jennifer said.
“That’s what you say. But you can understand why we have our concerns.”
Jennifer shook her head. “No. I did my time and I learned my lesson. Now I’m reformed.”
“I’ve heard that before,” David said.
“Detective, I’m telling you the truth.”
“I sure hope so,” David said.
“If you only take one thing from this conversation, let it be this. I don’t want to ever go back to jail,” Jennifer said.
“I’m sure you don’t. But some criminals can’t seem to stay out of trouble.”
“I was paroled for good behavior,” Jennifer said. “What does that tell you?”
“It’s good to hear that you behaved yourself in prison. We just want to make sure that you continue to behave yourself now that you’re free.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Speaking of, what are you going to do with your life now that you are out of jail?”
“That’s none of your business,” Jennifer said.
David threw out his arms. “Why are you being so defensive?”
“I don’t know why you can’t give me my privacy? I’m entitled to it.”
“You certainly are. That said, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about.”
“I just want to live a quiet peaceful life,” Jennifer said.
“I sure hope you mean that.”
“I do,” Jennifer said. “Now, my lunch is getting cold. Are we done here?”
David nodded.
“Good,” Jennifer said. “Feel free to never stop by again.”
Chapter Ten
Thankfully, the rest of the day went by without incident. David returned to the police department to finish his shift. Meanwhile, I headed over to Daley Buzz to do some work. That evening, I prepared dinner as usual. From there, David watched some television while my daughter Jessica did some reading. Shortly after ten o’clock, I tucked Jessica in for the night.
As I walked back to the living room, my cell phone rang. I got a really bad feeling in my gut as I reached for my phone.
When I looked at my cell and saw Diane Tuttle’s name listed on the caller identification screen, a sense of panic took hold of me.
My voice cracked as I answered the phone. “Diane. Is everything all right?”
“No,” Diane said. “He’s dead.”
My nose crinkled. “Who is
?”
“Wally,” Diane said.
“Wait. But…how?” I asked.
“It looks like he’s been stabbed,” Diane said. “Please get over here right now.”
***
After taking a few deep breaths, I placed a quick call to my mother. Thankfully, she didn’t hesitate to say yes when I asked her to come and get Jessica.
David and I then hopped into our car and rushed over to the Tuttle residence. On the way over to Hickory Hollow Road, I was completely silent as I tried to process the horrible news.
At first, David let me have some space. But as the seconds ticked by, he became uncomfortable with the silence in the car.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
I gritted my teeth. “Why does this keep happening?”
“I wish I had an answer for you,” David said. “But that’s what an investigation is for.”
My nose scrunched. “I wasn’t just talking about Wally’s death. I meant, big picture. After all, this is just the latest in a string of terrible events.”
He exhaled. “Things have gotten pretty rough recently.”
“It all started when Melissa Maxwell’s brother was murdered. Then Kyle Lipinski and Wade Becker broke out of jail.”
“Then Daphne’s brother-in-law went nuts.”
“And now this.” I took a deep breath. “Our lives have been nothing but an emotional minefield lately.”
David nodded. “It is a lot to have to deal with in the span of a few months.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “There’s an understatement for you. It’s a lot to deal with in the course of an entire lifetime. But for all of that to have happened recently…” I trailed off.
A pained look was on David’s face as he replied, “I wish I could tell you why our luck has been so bad lately. But all I can say is that I’m here for you. Whatever you need, just tell me.”
I stared up at the sky. “I want my life to stop being turned upside down.”
He winced. “Unfortunately, I can’t help you there.”
I stared at the floorboard of David’s car. “That’s the problem. No one can.”
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 30
