“I understand that. And we would love to be able to rule Trevor out as a suspect, but in order to do that, we need to speak with him first. You understand that, don’t you?”
She took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“Your son didn’t happen to be here with you last night, did he?”
“No,” Kaitlin said.
“Do you know where your son was yesterday evening?”
“He told me he was out cruising around town,” Kaitlin said.
“Did he give you more specifics than that?” David asked.
Kaitlin shook her head.
“Let’s hope there is more to his story than that,” I said.
“And that there’s someone who can verify his exact whereabouts,” David added.
“I’ll bet there is,” Kaitlin said.
“There’s one way to find out,” I said.
“He’s in his room,” Kaitlin said.
David held his pointer finger up. “Before we speak with your son, there’s a number of things I would like to talk to you about.”
Kaitlin’s eyebrows rose. “Me?”
“Were you awake when Trevor arrived home last night?” I asked.
Kaitlin nodded.
“What time was that?”
“Shortly after midnight.”
“And how did you spend your evening?”
Kaitlin grabbed a novel that was sitting on her coffee table. “I stayed here and read my book.”
“So, you were alone then?” David asked.
Kaitlin nodded.
“Why didn’t you and Jim have a date night?” David asked.
“Jim called me from the mattress emporium yesterday afternoon and told me he would be working late. He said he was going to head straight back to his place when he was done for the night,” Kaitlin explained. “I guess he never made it home.”
“Is that the last time you spoke with him? When he called you?”
“Yes,” Kaitlin said. “I can’t believe he’s really gone.”
“Again, I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“Not as sorry as I am. I really thought the universe was going to let me be happy. Clearly, I was wrong.”
“I know this is a terrible time, but since you were dating Jim, we need to ask you a few more things,” I said.
Kaitlin winced. “Do we really have to do this now?”
I nodded. “Unfortunately.”
Kaitlin took a deep breath. “Okay. What do you want to know?”
“Can you think of anyone else who had a reason to want Jim dead?” I asked.
“His ex-wife, of course,” Kaitlin said.
“I was going to say, other than Amanda Hartley.”
“Why other than her?” Kaitlin asked. “Maybe you have to look no further than her.”
“You could be right, but it would be nice to have a comprehensive list. So, can you think of anyone?”
“His business rival, Phil O’Connor.”
“Why him?”
“Jim used to work for Phil. But then Jim went out on his own and opened a rival mattress store. They have been at each other’s throats ever since.”
David bit his lip. “Can you think of anyone else who was having problems with Jim?”
Kaitlin nodded. “Jim recently fired one of his salesmen.”
“Yeah. We heard about that.”
“In that case, have you talked to Steve Willingham yet?”
“No.”
“You should,” Kaitlin said.
“We will,” David said. “In the meantime, did Jim have any other enemies?”
Kaitlin shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“All right then,” David said.
“You know, considering how many other people you need to speak with today, you shouldn’t even waste your time with Trevor,” Kaitlin said.
I looked deep into her eyes. “Kaitlin, you realize that we aren’t going to leave here without talking to him, right?”
Kaitlin winced.
Chapter Ten
Unfortunately, some bad news was waiting for David and me when we entered Trevor’s bedroom. Namely, that Trevor wasn’t there.
While we saw no sign of Trevor anywhere, it didn’t take long to determine what had taken place. Especially when we saw that his window was cracked open.
David rushed over to the window and looked out, but Trevor was nowhere in sight.
From there, David and I headed back down the hallway to the living room.
Kaitlin stopped bouncing her knee nervously and got up from her sofa when she spotted us. “That was quick. Have you crossed him off your suspect list then?”
David shook his head. “No”
“Why not?” Kaitlin asked.
“Because we haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet,” David said.
Kaitlin’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“Trevor wasn’t in his bedroom,” I said.
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s gone.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense.”
“It appears that he slipped out his bedroom window,” David said.
“You’re kidding?” Kaitlin said.
David shook his head. “I wish I was.”
I spoke up. “He probably slipped out when he heard us talking to you.”
Kaitlin shrugged. “Why would he do that?”
“My guess is that he was listening in on our entire conversation and he got freaked out,” David said.
Kaitlin waggled her finger. “I don’t appreciate you jumping to conclusions like that.”
“What conclusions do you expect us to jump to?” David asked. “If Trevor has nothing to hide, then why didn’t he just stay in his room?”
“I’m sure there’s a good explanation for this,” Kaitlin said.
“If there is, I’d like to hear it,” David said.
Kaitlin went quiet.
“That’s what I thought.” David grabbed his police radio. “I need to put out an all-points-bulletin on him before he gets too far.”
“Do you really think that is necessary?” Kaitlin asked.
David nodded. “I sure do. I have learned it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“Before you do that, let me call him,” Kaitlin said. She went over and grabbed her phone from her purse.
David waited impatiently as Kaitlin dialed her son’s number.
But Trevor didn’t answer his phone.
When Kaitlin’s call went to voice mail, she left her son a message. “Trevor, I need you to call me back right now. It’s urgent.”
David replied sarcastically, “He didn’t pick up, huh? What a surprise.”
“I’m sure he’ll call back soon,” Kaitlin said.
“Yeah? Well I’m not going to hold my breath. I’m putting out that bulletin on him,” David said.
Kaitlin tried to plead with David. “Please don’t.”
“Unfortunately, your son hasn’t given me any other choice,” David said.
While David walked away, I reached out to Kaitlin. “If Trevor does call you back, let us know immediately.”
Chapter Eleven
Talk about an agonizing exchange. And that was saying a lot. In the last few years, I had conducted more suspect interviews than I cared to admit, but few were as heart wrenching as that one.
So, when David and I got back in the car, I couldn’t help but let out a big groan.
“I’m right there with you,” David said. “I hate having a suspect on the loose like this. But don’t worry. I’m going to call dispatch and have them put out that bulletin.”
“David, that isn’t the reason I just groaned,” I said.
He squinted. “Really?”
“Not even close,” I said.
“But what’s more important right now than finding Trevor? The way he took off running is a huge red flag.”
“I agree. And it’s certainly a suspicious move on his part. But I groaned because that conversatio
n turned out far worse than I even expected.”
David grimaced. “It certainly could have gone a lot better.”
I nodded. “Especially for Kaitlin. I mean, think of everything we just threw at her. First, we told her that her boyfriend has been murdered. Next, we revealed that her son is a possible suspect. And to top it all off, now she has deal with the fact that her son slipped out his bedroom window and is on the run somewhere.”
“You’re right. That would be a lot of news to process in the course of a month, much less ten minutes,” David said.
I stared off into the distance. “I can’t imagine what it’s like, knowing that your own kid might be a killer.”
David’s eyes widened. “That’s a parent’s worst nightmare.”
“What if it’s actually true? I mean, how do you go on with life if your son is sent to jail for murdering your boyfriend?”
David mustered as much resolve as he could. “I can’t think about that right now.”
I took a deep breath. “It’s strange that you should say that, because I’m having a hard time thinking about anything else.”
“Don’t get me wrong. My heart goes out to Kaitlin. But as emotional as this situation is, we have to find a way to shelve our personal feelings.”
“That’s easier said than done.”
“I understand that. But it’s also necessary.”
I nodded. “You’re right.”
“Besides, we don’t know who is responsible for this.”
“No. As a matter of fact, it turns out there’s a lot we don’t know.”
“Which is why we need to get back to work,” David.
“I agree.” I mustered all the resolve that I could. “Let’s head out.”
Chapter Twelve
David radioed dispatch quickly to put out the bulletin on Trevor Olson. While he was doing that, I turned my focus to the next suspect on our list. It was Jim’s ex-wife, Amanda Hartley. Surprisingly, when I looked up Amanda’s social media profile on my phone, I discovered that she was working at the Treasure Cove Motor Lodge. That was a significant downgrade from her previous job. After all, less than a year ago, she was the front-end manager at the luxurious Treasure Cove Beach Resort.
But Amanda’s employment status wasn’t the only major change that had taken place in the last twelve months. In addition, she’d had an affair with Wally Tuttle. So, when Wally was later found dead, naturally she became a suspect in the case. Ultimately, Amanda was cleared of any charges.
She didn’t get away completely unscathed, however. Her marriage completely crumbled. When Jim found out that Amanda had been cheating on him, he didn’t want anything to do with her. As Jim filed for divorce, Amanda began to hit the bottle really hard.
That led to her showing up drunk on my doorstep one afternoon looking for trouble. After that incident, David filed a restraining order against her. She had stayed away from my family ever since. Had she kept her distance from Jim as well? Or was she responsible for her ex-husband’s murder?
David and I headed over to the lodge to find out. As we pulled into the parking lot of the low-rent motel, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the last time I was there. For a resident of Treasure Cove, I sure seemed to spend a surprising amount of time at local hotels. But it was always to question murder suspects.
That was certainly the case six months ago when David and I came here to interview Henry Moore about Angela Hummel’s disappearance. Not surprisingly, that interview got very heated. I had a feeling that our upcoming conversation with Amanda would end up being equally unpleasant.
***
As David and I entered the lobby of the motor lodge, we saw Amanda standing behind the front desk. Thankfully, there were no guests around.
Also absent was any sense of customer service. The red-haired, freckle-faced fifty-three-year-old shot a glare at us as we approached her. In addition, her trim body tensed up as the expression on her square face turned to outrage.
Before either David or I were able to get a word out, Amanda threw out her arms and asked, “What are you doing here?”
It appeared that my suspicions had been confirmed. The stage was set for a highly antagonistic exchange. Although, it was clear that Amanda was more interested in showing us the door rather than speaking to us. But David and I weren’t leaving without answers.
That said, with Amanda already so worked up, it was important to keep things from going completely off the rails.
David kept his cool as he replied, “Calm down.”
Amanda shook her head. “Not until you tell me why you’re here.”
“We just need to talk to you for a minute—”
Amanda pointed at the door as she cut David off. “I have a better idea. Why don’t you leave?”
David folded his arms. “That isn’t going to happen.”
Amanda grimaced. “But what about the restraining order?”
“That applies to you approaching us,” David said. “Sabrina and I are free to come up to you anytime we want.”
“How about what I want? Namely, for you to leave,” Amanda said.
“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” David said.
“Sure you can. Just turn around and get back into your car.”
“There are a number of matters that need to be discussed first.”
“Look. If this is about how I showed up at your doorstep drunk that afternoon, you need to know that I’m not the same person that I used to be,” Amanda said.
David opened his mouth to reply, but Amanda kept talking.
“Seriously. I’ve changed a lot in the last six months. For example, I’m a hundred and forty-eight days sober now,” Amanda said.
“Good for you,” David said. “But—”
Once again, Amanda didn’t let David finish his thought. “I have really cleaned my life up. And I don’t want any trouble. So please, can you just go away?”
Finally, David managed to get a complete a full sentence. “Like I told you already, there are things that we need to discuss with you.”
Amanda groaned. “You just won’t let the past die, will you? I already told you, I’m sorry about showing up on your doorstep like that—”
David held his pointer finger up. “Amanda, we aren’t here about that.”
Her nose scrunched. “Then why are you here?”
“Because we need to talk to you about your ex-husband,” David said.
Amanda groaned. “Is this really necessary?”
David nodded. “Unfortunately. When was the last time you spoke with him?”
“A couple of months ago,” Amanda said.
David squinted. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” She stared at David. “Why would you question that?” She then put her hands on her hips. “Moreover, why do you even care about the last time I talked to Jim?”
“You haven’t heard the news then?” David asked.
Amanda shook her head. “No. What happened?”
“Your ex-husband is dead.”
Amanda took a step back as her jaw nearly hit the floor. “Are you serious?”
David nodded.
She shook her head. “No. I don’t believe it.”
“It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not. It’s the truth.”
Amanda’s nose scrunched. “How did he die?”
“He was stabbed to death,” David said.
“How awful. What a terrible way to go,” Amanda said.
Her shock seemed genuine, but I was wary of taking her words at face value. Murder suspects were notorious for the lengths they would go to deceive investigators.
While I studied Amanda’s body language, her eyes bulged.
“Wait a minute. Why did you come here and tell me this? Jim and I have been divorced for months,” Amanda said.
“Like I told you before, there are some questions we need to ask you,” David said.
She stared deep into David’s eyes. “No. There’s something you’re not te
lling me. You think I might have had something to do with Jim’s death, don’t you?”
“Ms. Hartley, I’m the one asking the questions here,” David said.
Amanda scoffed. “I can’t believe this. You have a lot of nerve showing up at my workplace, treating me like I’m a criminal.”
“It’s no more nerve than you had showing up on our doorstep a few months ago,” I said.
“I told you. I’m a different person now,” Amanda said.
“Prove it,” David said. “The last time we questioned you about a murder, you were extremely combative. So this time, why don’t you just calmly answer our questions?”
She folded her arms. “You don’t honestly think I might have killed my ex-husband, do you?”
“Would you blame us if we did?” David asked.
“Yes. Because I didn’t do anything,” Amanda said.
“If that’s true then you have nothing to worry about.”
She groaned. “This is insane.”
“Do you honestly not understand why we have every reason to suspect you?”
“I’ll tell you this. The last time you suspected me of murder, you were dead wrong,” Amanda said.
“The circumstances are a little different this time.”
“But the answer is still the same. I didn’t do anything.”
“If that’s true then why do you keep avoiding our questions?”
“Because they are just a waste of time.”
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re the only one wasting time here. And it ends now,” David said. “So, you can either answer my questions here or I’ll drag you back to the police station.”
“You can’t do that—”
David held his pointer finger out. “Actually, I have every right to haul you into police headquarters for questioning.”
A look of panic came to Amanda’s face. “If you do that, I could lose this job.”
“Which is all the more reason to just answer my questions now. And let me tell you, I’m not leaving until I get answers,” David replied. “Now it’s your choice. What’s it going to be?”
Amanda exhaled. “Fine. What do you want to know exactly?”
“To start, where you were last night,” David said.
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 49
