“Hey, when you two get some more free time on your hands, you should stay here for an entire weekend. We have a spare bedroom,” Gavin said.
“Thank you for the offer, but free time is something we have a distinct shortage of,” I said.
Gavin grimaced. “That’s unfortunate.”
I threw out my arms. “At this stage in our lives, it’s just the way things are.”
“Maybe that will change in the future. Our offer is open-ended,” Gavin said.
“I guess that means you’re planning on staying here a while,” I said.
Angela nodded. “Absolutely. I can see myself growing old here.”
“That’s nice to hear,” I said.
“In all honesty, it’s just nice to be alive. To have survived that horror. I’m so lucky,” Angela said. “And I owe you both so much.”
I shook my head. “You don’t owe us anything.”
“Of course I do. I owe you two everything. And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you,” Angela said.
“Don’t worry about that. Just enjoy your life. That will be repayment enough,” I said.
Angela stared out into the distance and got choked up. “You may not think that I owe you anything, but I know how differently things could have turned out. When I think about everything that happened, it is miracle that I’m not dead.”
Gavin took Angela’s hand.
“Angela, I know how painful it must be for you to talk about this. So if you want to discuss something else, I understand,” I said.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to linger on that point,” Angela said.
“Good,” Gavin said. “I think it’s wiser to focus on the positive.”
“I’m working on that. Just like I’m doing my best not to dwell on the past,” Angela said.
“That’s smart. The past will haunt you if you let it,” I said. “But if you look forward, you might be surprised at how bright your future is.”
“I hope you’re right.” Angela took a deep breath. “My therapist says I should just take each day as it comes.”
“That’s good advice,” I said.
“I’ll say this. Ever since I was rescued, I’ve certainly become far more appreciative about things.” Angela replied. “I’m counting every blessing that comes my way.”
“I’ll bet,” I said.
“But enough about me,” Angela said. “How about you two? Is everything going well?”
“Unfortunately, things aren’t quite as peaceful as I’d like them to be,” I said.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Angela said.
“That said, things could always be worse,” I replied.
“But they could also be better, couldn’t they?” Angela said.
“Of course,” I said.
“In that case, I hope things get much better for you really soon,” Angela said.
“I wouldn’t turn that down. But you know how life in Treasure Cove is,” I said.
“You mean, it’s never boring,” Gavin deadpanned.
David laughed. “That’s putting it lightly.”
“Have you ever thought about leaving?” Angela asked.
“I can’t say the thought hasn’t crossed my mind,” I replied.
“If you’re serious about leaving Treasure Cove, I think you’d really like it here,” Angela said.
“Don’t get me wrong. Just because the thought has crossed my mind doesn’t mean we’re going anywhere. For better or worse, it’s our home,” I said.
“All right. Well good luck to you both,” Angela said.
“Thanks,” I said. “I have a feeling I’m going to need all the luck I can get.”
“Maybe so,” Angela said. “In the meantime, let’s enjoy this moment.”
The End.
Murder and Vanilla Cake
Chapter One
“Can you believe this?” I asked.
David stared at the television with a shocked look on his face. “What a crazy world.”
“I can think of more colorful ways to characterize the world,” I said. “Just like I can think of a number of ways to describe that woman.”
The woman in question was Danielle Pirzinski. Her face was splashed across the news for a very dubious reason. The day before, while Danielle was busy shooting up heroin, her three-year-old son Luke slipped out into the backyard of their house and fell into their pool.
Hours later, when Danielle came down from her high, she got up and looked around for her son. But by the time she spotted Luke at the bottom of the pool, he was already dead. Danielle called 9-1-1, but there was nothing that the paramedics could do for the little boy. The Aurora Plains Police Department later arrested Danielle and booked her on multiple charges.
Even though the drowning had taken place in an entirely different county, it could have easily happened in my hometown of Treasure Cove.
Given the tragic nature of the story, it was no surprise that the local media was running wall-to-wall coverage about the drowning.
For the better part of two hours, my husband and I were glued to the television, trying to process the news.
“I have seen a lot of heartbreaking things over the years as a detective, but this is just gut wrenching,” David said.
“It’s more than that. Danielle’s actions are just unforgivable,” I said. “How could she be so irresponsible? How could she let something like this happen?”
“She certainly has a lot of explaining to do. I mean, for her to be shooting up at all, much less when she has a young child at home, is just…”
“Unfathomable?”
“That’s one way of putting it.”
“How about criminal?”
“That’s definitely true,” David said. “She’s going to be spending a number of years in jail.”
“I hope they throw the book at her.”
“I’ll bet they will.”
“That said, no amount of jail time is going to change what happened. Her son is gone. Because of her actions. And she’s going to have to live with that for the rest of her life,” I replied.
“You say that, but I don’t know how she can live with herself after something like this has happened,” David remarked.
Just then, before I was able to reply to my husband, I spotted my eleven-year-old daughter Jessica entering the room.
“What are you watching?” Jessica asked.
I reached for the remote and quickly turned off the TV. I didn’t want my daughter to see such a disturbing news story.
I looked over at my daughter and changed the subject. “Jess, I thought you were doing your homework.”
“I’m done,” Jessica said.
“Good for you,” I said.
“Can we watch Baking for Big Bucks?” Jessica asked.
Cooking shows were a staple in my house. And after all the news coverage about Danielle Pirzinski, watching a baking competition show sounded like a perfect escape.
“Uh, sure,” I said.
Jessica’s eyes lit up. “Yay.”
I turned the TV back on and quickly flipped the channel so Jessica wouldn’t see the news coverage.
My daughter then became engrossed in the cooking competition that was taking place onscreen.
Meanwhile, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It had been a close call, but I had managed to spare Jessica the terrible news about Luke Pirzinski’s drowning. Jessica didn’t need those kinds of images floating around her brain.
Part of me wished that I hadn’t seen the news coverage myself. Especially given all the awful details of the case.
At first, I wondered how I would be able to go about the rest of my day like it was an ordinary afternoon.
When I looked over at my daughter, however, I saw how excited she was by the baking competition. There was just something magical about little kids. Their simplicity. Their energy. And their joy. It was hard not to get wrapped up in that excitement.
Maybe a little too wrapped up for Jessica
’s taste. My daughter noticed me staring at her and she became self-conscious.
“Do I have something in my teeth?” Jessica asked.
I shook my head.
Jessica shrugged. “Then why are you looking at me like that?”
“I just love you so much,” I said.
Jessica smiled. “I love you too Mommy.” She looked at the TV screen again. “Don’t those cupcakes look delicious?”
I nodded. “They sure do.”
Chapter Two
Not surprisingly, Danielle Pirzinski’s arrest was a hot topic of conversation the following day. But when I met up with my two best friends at Daley Buzz Coffee Company in the morning, we discussed a different angle of the case.
My petite, red-headed friend, Shannon Marlowe, was filled with a sense of disbelief as she spoke. “You know what I can’t get over?”
“That shooting heroin was more important to Danielle than the safety of her child?” I said.
“Well yeah. That’s the most horrifying part,” Shannon said. “But something else is really getting to me about this case.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“That Danielle looks like a regular soccer mom. I mean, when I first heard the story, I expected her to look unkempt. For her hair to be frazzled. For her to have a crazy look in her eyes. But the opposite was the case. On the outside at least, she looks like someone we could run into during parent-teacher night at school,” Shannon said.
Kelly Hogan ran her hand through her wavy blond hair and then adjusted her blue-framed glasses. “Once again proving that looks can be wildly deceiving.”
Shannon nodded. “They sure can.”
“It’s also a reminder that you never really know what’s going on inside someone’s head,” I replied.
“You sure don’t,” Kelly said.
Shannon spoke up again. “That said, in Danielle’s case, I think if we knew everything that was going on in her head, it would scare us.”
“I don’t doubt that,” I said. “What little I know is horrifying enough.”
Kelly trembled.
I turned to my friend. “Are you okay?”
Kelly shook her head. “I’m really not. This story has really hit me on a visceral level.”
“Of course. How could it not? Especially when a child is involved,” I said.
“I just feel so bad for that little boy. His life shouldn’t have ended that way,” Kelly said.
“No, it shouldn’t have. Which is why I get so angry when I think of Danielle,” I said. “Mothers are born nurturers. Our instincts are to protect our kids. To put our children first.”
“And yet she did just the opposite,” Shannon said.
“Exactly. It’s so unnatural,” I said. “For example, I would do anything for my daughter.”
“And I would do anything to keep my son safe,” Shannon said.
“I know what you mean,” Kelly said. “My daughter’s safety is my top priority.”
I stared out into the distance. “I hope it never comes to this, but I can honestly say that if worse came to worse, I would take a bullet for my daughter.”
“I know you would. Which is why I pray that you are never put in that position,” Kelly said.
“Don’t get me wrong. If it were up to me, no one that I love would ever be in danger. But life doesn’t ask me what I want,” I said.
Shannon chuckled. “You aren’t alone. I can’t tell you how many times life has thrown me a curveball.”
Kelly let out a sigh. “Yeah. I’ve had the rug pulled out from under me more times than I’d like to count.”
Shannon’s eyes widened. “Unfortunately, it has happened so often that I can’t help but wonder what is going to happen next.”
“I know what’s next for Danielle Pirzinski,” I said. “A whole lot of jail time.”
Shannon held up her pointer finger. “I actually meant, what is the universe going to throw at us next?”
“I don’t even want to think about that,” I said.
“You’re right. We probably don’t want to know the answer to that question,” Shannon said.
“But, like we’ve already established, the universe doesn’t really care what we want,” I said.
“True. And there always seems to be a new surprise around the corner,” Shannon said.
Kelly tried to remain optimistic. “Maybe this time will be different.”
“That would be an inspiring change of pace,” I said. “One that I would welcome with open arms.”
“We’ll get an answer soon enough,” Kelly said.
Shannon nodded. “For better or worse.”
A loud ringtone then interrupted our conversation. Kelly reached into her purse and grabbed her phone.
As she looked at the screen of her phone, she said, “In the meantime, I need to get to work.”
Shannon took a deep breath. “Right. I should be heading out too. Although, it’ll be hard to focus on work during a day like this.”
“I know what you mean,” I said. “Right now, all I want to do is go home and give my daughter a big hug then tell her how much I love her.”
Chapter Three
When I got done with work for the day, I did just that. Jessica gave me a weird look, like she had no clue why I was being so emotional. One day she would understand. In the meantime, I didn’t take her bizarre look to heart. Instead, I just kept holding her.
The following morning, I saw another news report about Danielle Pirzinski. But instead of letting myself get drawn in to the news story, I flipped off the TV.
In the twenty-four-hour cable news world that we lived in, it was difficult to step away from a big story like this. But I realized it was also necessary. Every new development I heard made me more disturbed. I knew that would continue to be the case if I kept pouring over the details. So, the best course of action was to avoid the news entirely.
It took a few days, but talk about the case finally died down amongst my friends and family members. Slowly, life got back to normal. Well, as much as it could. The word ordinary had taken on a different meaning to me over the years.
With each passing year, the world seemed to just get crazier. It had gotten to the point where I stopped asking if something nutty would happen. Instead, I found myself wondering how long I could go before the next insane twist occurred in my life. A few days? A couple of months? Or even a year or two?
On second thought, who was I kidding? A whole year? There was a fat chance of that happening.
If anything, crazy things were happening more frequently than ever.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t pray for the best.
***
It turned out the universe gave me three days of peace before it threw a curveball my way. On the fourth day, I entered Shannon’s Sandwich Shop to grab some lunch and ran into a face from the past.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t an old friend, but rather a former suspect from a murder case that David and I had investigated a number of months back.
Apparently, a lot had changed in the last six months. The last time I saw Jim Hartley, he had a serious beer belly. The fifty-three-year-old’s stomach had gotten significantly smaller since then.
That wasn’t the only significant change in the way he looked. Gone was his stringy long hair. As was his goatee. He was now clean shaven and sporting a short but stylish hairdo. For the longest time, he looked like a roadie for a rock band. But now he could suddenly be mistaken for an accountant.
Although, he didn’t work in either of those professions. Jim actually owned a Mattress Emporium. But his appearance and his line of work didn’t concern me nearly as much as his demeanor did.
When David and I had interviewed him about Wally Tuttle’s murder, things had gotten heated. Ultimately, we discovered that Jim had nothing to do with Wally’s death. The question became, with his name cleared, had he moved on? Or did he still hold a grudge against David and me for suspecting him in the first place? If so,
he certainly wouldn’t be the first former suspect with an ax to grind.
Part of me wanted to turn around and walk out of the sandwich shop. After all, I had been worried about when the other shoe might drop. Had that moment arrived? Or was I getting worked up over nothing?
I let Jim say the first word. The tone of the entire conversation rested on how he decided to address me. He folded his arms as he spotted me.
“Sabrina Carlson. Talk about a blast from the past,” Jim said.
Unfortunately, his tone didn’t lean one way or another. And since I didn’t hear excitement or disdain in his voice, it was hard to tell where he was going to take this discussion.
I decided to wade into the conversation gingerly. “Jim. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Jim nodded. “Not since the Wally Tuttle investigation.”
Jim had a good poker face, but I was suddenly getting an inkling of where this conversation was leaning. If I was correct, things could easily turn ugly.
My body tensed up as I waited to see what Jim was going to say next.
Before he had the chance to get another word out, he became distracted by the sound of a woman’s voice.
“All right, honey, I’m ready to go now,” the woman said.
As I looked to the right to see who was speaking, things really got interesting. Especially since I knew the woman. Her name was Kaitlin Anderson. For a number of decades, her family had run a restaurant called Home Away From Home Cooking. Much to the chagrin of my taste buds, it had shuttered a few years ago.
Unfortunately, the closing of her family’s business wasn’t the only bad news that Kaitlin had been grappling with. She had also struggled with a nasty divorce. If that wasn’t bad enough, her ex-husband had decided to skip town and wasn’t lifting a finger to help raise their eighteen-year-old son.
With such a string of terrible events occurring in rapid succession, I honestly didn’t know how Kaitlin managed to hold herself together. She certainly had my sympathy. After all, it was hard enough raising a kid in a two-parent household. But to do it as a single mom was an unenviable spot to be in.
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 46
