Naturally, William was all-too happy to drive over and interview David. William was a skinny man in his late forties who had an angular face, short brown hair, and hazel eyes. He also had a serious no-nonsense streak in him.
When he met David outside the police station, William quickly dispatched with pleasantries, turned on his video camera, and asked David what this big update was.
“New evidence has come to light in the Jim Hartley murder investigation,” David said.
“What sort of evidence?” William asked.
“We are still processing it. But I’ll say this. I am absolutely certain that this will turn the tide in this case. We should have the killer in custody within the next twenty-four hours,” David said.
***
William asked David a number of additional questions, which David gave intentionally vague and noncommittal answers to.
David then concluded the interview and headed back inside the police station.
Once my husband was back inside the lobby, I greeted him with a smile.
“Good job. That went exactly according to my plan,” I said.
“Speaking of your plan, what do we do now?” David asked.
“We wait for the killer to make a move,” I said.
***
David and I didn’t have to wait very long. Shortly after the interview aired on the local news, David got a call on his police radio from the deputy who was watching Phil O’Connor’s every move.
According to the deputy, Phil was trying to leave town. The deputy tailed Phil’s car and waited for him to get outside the city limits. Once Phil left Treasure Cove, the deputy fired up his siren and pulled him over.
The deputy was currently detaining Phil for questioning.
Upon hearing that news, David and I sped over to Route 32 to speak with Phil.
Chapter Thirty-One
Twenty minutes later, David and I reached the deputy’s location. David parked his car on the shoulder behind the deputy’s vehicle.
My husband then got out of his car and had a brief conversation with Deputy Peterson.
Once he was done speaking with the deputy, David and I approached Phil, who was being held in the back of the deputy’s car.
“Apparently, someone has trouble following orders,” David said.
“Let me go,” Phil said.
David shook his head. “That’s not going to happen.”
Phil snarled at David. “Why not?”
“I thought I was very clear the last time we spoke. I told you not to leave town—under any circumstances.”
“You seem to be forgetting a key part of your statement.”
David squinted. “What are you talking about?”
“Yes, you told me not to leave town,” Phil said. “While the investigation was still open.”
“What makes you think the case is closed?”
“I saw you being interviewed on the news. You told the reporter that you were about to arrest the killer.”
“I am. Which begs the question, where did you think you were going?”
Phil’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. You don’t seriously think that I killed Jim—?”
“Mr. O’Connor, I would like an answer to my question,” David said. “Now tell me, where were you going?”
“This is outrageous. You can’t hold me against my will,” Phil snapped.
“Sure I can. Not only are you the prime suspect in a murder investigation, but you were just caught trying to skip town—”
“I wasn’t skipping town,” Phil said.
“Then why did the deputy find a number of bags full of clothes and other personal belongings in your backseat when he went through your car?”
“I’m just going away on a little trip.”
“I believe you were going on a trip, all right. I just don’t believe you had any intention of ever coming back here.”
“I don’t appreciate you making a baseless speculation like that.”
“And I don’t appreciate being lied to.”
“I haven’t lied to you,” Phil said.
I scoffed.
Phil shot me a glare. He opened his mouth to speak, but I got my response in ahead of him.
“By my calculations, you have done nothing but lie to us. But guess what? We know the truth,” I said.
“Nice try, but you don’t scare me,” Phil said.
“I should. Especially given what I know. You see, you can run all you want, but there’s no escaping the truth,” I said.
“For the last time, I wasn’t running. I was just taking a trip,” Phil said.
“Drop the act already,” I said. “We know you killed Jim. And we also know why you did it.”
“I’m going to stop you right there—”
I interrupted Phil. “That’s actually the reason you murdered Jim. When you found out that he was going to quit working for you and open his own competing mattress store, it burned you. But that was only the beginning of your problems. You couldn’t stop him from stealing your customers. Just like you were unable to prevent him from building the most successful mattress store in town. The bigger his business got, the angrier you became. Until you just couldn’t take it anymore. You realized the only way to stop him from outselling you was to take Jim’s life. And that’s exactly what you did.”
Phil didn’t respond. Instead, he looked down at the ground.
“Go ahead. Try to ignore me. But it isn’t going to change what you did. Just like it won’t change the fact that you were trying to skip town. So just admit it. You killed Jim because you were desperate to get revenge, didn’t you?” I said.
Phil remained silent.
I made one more attempt to get him to speak up. “You just couldn’t stand the fact that Jim was a better salesman than you, could you?
My statement must have really touched a nerve because Phil looked up at me with a fire in his eyes. “Before Jim started working for me, he didn’t know a thing about sales. I showed him the ropes. Taught him all of my tricks. And trained him to be a sales machine.” He snarled. “How did he repay my generosity? By opening up a rival store. That punk stabbed me in the back. So instead of taking things lying down, I stabbed him right back.”
I shook my head. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Jim is the one who should be ashamed,” Phil snapped. “As far as I’m concerned, he got what was coming to him.”
“Let’s see if you still believe that when you are sentenced to life in prison,” I said.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Three days later
With Phil O’Connor in prison, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. It always felt good to put a case behind me. But that was especially true this time around.
Once the dust had settled, David and I went out for a treat. In my mind, some cake was in order. When it came to getting dessert, Mitchell’s was the best bakery in town.
My piece of vanilla cake was absolutely exquisite. It was soft and buttery and had just the right amount of icing to delight my taste buds without going overboard. As a matter of fact, it was so good that I could have easily devoured four pieces all by myself.
Instead of completely pigging out, I slowly savored the one piece that was in front of me.
As I took a delicious bite, I looked across the table at David. My husband was very slowly working his way through his dessert.
“Is it just me or does this cake taste better than ever?” I asked.
David shook his head. “It tastes the same to me.”
I squinted. “Really?”
David nodded. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s delicious cake. But I don’t think it tastes any better than usual.”
“I guess it’s just all in my mind then.”
“Or maybe it just seems better because you haven’t eaten cake in a few weeks.”
“Perhaps. Then again, there’s a chance that it tastes sweeter because of everything that we just finished going through.”
“That could be it,” David said. “After all, it hasn’t been the easiest week of our lives.”
I chuckled. “Your flair for understatement never ceases to amaze me.”
“After all these years together, I’m glad I can still surprise you.”
“If I’m being honest, there have been too many surprises in my life lately.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“Good. I’m in no mood to argue.”
“Don’t worry. All I want is some peace in my life.”
“I’m all for tranquility. But given this town’s history, I can’t help but worry that this serenity will be short-lived.”
“All the more reason to appreciate this moment.”
“Not to mention this cake.” I took another bite of my dessert.
“Trust me. I’m going to treasure every bite,” David said.
“On second thought, we have no idea what the future holds,” I said. “Maybe things will finally quiet down around here.”
David’s eyes widened. “Is that the sugar talking? Or are you serious?”
I squinted. “Why are you looking at me like I’m crazy?”
“Because this is Treasure Cove. We have a better chance of winning the lottery than things staying peaceful here for the long term.”
“What a glass-half-empty thing to say.”
“Sorry. I guess I always find myself wondering when the other shoe is going to drop.”
“I can’t blame you. This town hasn’t given me any reason to believe that peace is here to stay. But I’m going to hope for the best anyway.”
“That’s a good attitude to have. There’s nothing wrong with a little hope.”
“Just like there’s nothing wrong with a little cake,” I said. I took another bite. “This is simply delicious.”
David smiled at me. “Do you know what else is delicious?”
“What?”
“Being with you.”
I leaned in and gave him a kiss. “You’re so sweet to me.”
“Of course. I love you,” David said.
“I love you too.”
He took my hand. “I just want you to know—no matter what the future holds, I’m glad that I get to spend it with you.”
I smiled at him. “I couldn’t agree more.”
The End.
Chocolate Cupcakes with a Side of Murder
Chapter One
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” I said.
My eighteen-year-old daughter raised her eyebrows and looked at me like I was nuts.
“Very funny,” Jessica Carlson said.
As I stared into her hazel eyes, one thought kept popping into my head. She had grown up so fast. Sure, she had a trim figure and a square face, just like when she was younger. And Jessica still preferred to pull her long brown hair back into a ponytail, just like when she was a little girl. But she definitely wasn’t little anymore. She was an adult now.
“Honey, I wasn’t joking,” I said.
My daughter held her hand up. “Mom, let me stop you right there. I’m doing this. And nothing you say is going to stop me.”
Jessica took after me in so many ways. Not only in the looks department, but also personality-wise. When I was her age, I was as stubborn as could be. That being said, I had only softened slightly over the years. Even though I was fifty-five now, I was still plenty feisty.
“Jessica, I know you’re dead serious,” I said. “Why do you think I’m such a bundle of nerves?”
“Mom, I’m the one enrolling in the police academy,” Jessica said. “If anyone should be nervous, it’s me.”
My eyes widened. “If you’re really nervous, you can take some extra time to think over your decision.”
Jessica folded her arms. “I’m not that nervous.”
“Okay. I’m just checking.”
She stared deep into my eyes. “Don’t you want me to be happy?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then wish me good luck. You know that becoming a police detective has been my dream ever since I was a little girl. This is the first step toward making that happen.”
“I understand that. And trust me, no one is going to be praying for you more than I will. After all, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Things will be just fine,” she said.
I took a deep breath before replying, “I hope you’re right.”
Jessica chuckled. “What’s so funny?”
“Here you are, a woman who has investigated dozens of murders. Yet you’re nervous about me pursuing my dream of becoming a detective.”
“That’s exactly why I’m so nervous,” I said. “I know how hard it is to solve murder cases. Not to mention how dangerous those investigations can get.”
At that point, my daughter looked at her father, Detective David Carlson, who calmly leaned against our car a few feet away. My husband had already said good-bye to Jessica. It was safe to say that he had managed to keep a much cooler head throughout the process.
“Dad has solved plenty of cases as well, but you don’t see him freaking out,” Jessica said.
“At least not on the outside,” I said. “Let me tell you something, though. Forget his stoic demeanor. On the inside, I can guarantee that he’s plenty nervous.”
“But he doesn’t have to be,” Jessica said. “And neither do you.”
“Of course I do. It’s part of being a parent. You’ll understand one day,” I said.
“In the meantime, I really should be heading inside,” Jessica said.
Finally, there was no delaying the inevitable. I took a deep breath and threw my arms around my daughter. “You take care of yourself, all right?”
“I will.”
“I love you so much,” I said.
“I love you, too,” Jessica replied.
Chapter Two
Once I was done saying good-bye to Jessica, my husband and I hopped into our car and began our journey home. It would take us three hours to arrive back in our coastal hometown of Treasure Cove. Thankfully, the drive was scenic.
At first, I thought the ocean view would be able to hold my attention. After all, I loved watching the waves crash against the shore. Unfortunately, I had difficulty focusing on the coastline. I was too busy wrestling with my emotions.
My daughter enrolling the police academy was a huge deal. Not just for her career. But also because it was the first time she had ever lived away from home. While I was proud of her for taking such a big step, I also felt very sad that her bedroom wouldn’t be right down the hall anymore. It was truly the end of an era.
In addition, David and I suddenly found ourselves in a strange position. All of a sudden, we were empty-nesters. That was definitely going to take some time to get used to.
While I sat in the passenger seat of our family sedan and stared out the window, my husband looked over at me with a concerned expression on his face.
“Do you want to talk?” he asked.
I pulled my head out of the clouds and stared into David’s soulful brown eyes. My husband was fifty-five-years-old, but he kept himself in such good shape that he looked a good ten years younger than his true age. He had a muscular body, a handsome face, a tender heart, and a killer sense of humor.
I shrugged. “What’s there to say?”
“I’m going to miss Jessica, too,” he said. “But everything is going to be okay.”
“Come on, David. Let’s be honest. Things are never going to be the same again.”
“Honey, she’s only going to be at the academy for six months. Then she’ll be coming back to Treasure Cove.”
“Except that when she returns, she won’t just be our little girl anymore. She’ll be a police officer.”
He took a deep breath. “I know. It’s incredible how quickly she’s grown up.”
I stared out into the distance. “It really is.” I began to get choked up. After taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I continued. “Why do
n’t we talk about something else?”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Absolutely. Another topic would be great.”
David grimaced. “Do you want me to pull over?”
I shook my head.
“Really?” he said. “If I stop the car, you can walk around and get some fresh air.”
“Honestly, I just want to get home. The sooner, the better.”
“All right.” David looked at the radio dial on his dashboard. “How about some music?”
I nodded. “That would be good.”
***
A few hours later, David and I arrived back in Treasure Cove. The coastal California town was home to just a little more than thirty-thousand residents. Although, that number nearly doubled in the summer, when the tourists flocked here in droves. There were two main reasons why visitors loved our picturesque small town—the beach and the weather.
While those things were both great, Treasure Cove had more to offer locals and tourists alike. My hometown also had a revitalized Main Street, a large selection of Victorian-era homes, a wonderful boardwalk promenade, and a great selection of boutiques.
During my time living here, more than a few people had referred to Treasure Cove as being picturesque. I couldn’t agree more. In my mind, it was a postcard-perfect town.
When my husband and I arrived back at our green Victorian-style home on Avocado Drive, our energetic corgi, Sebastian, was at the door to greet us. We gave him some pats and told him how happy we were to see him.
“Did you miss us?” I said. “I missed you, too.”
Even though Sebastian was happy to see us, there was a confused look in his eyes. I knew what he was thinking. Where was Jessica?
Sebastian kept staring at the door, as if he expected her to be back home any minute. Unfortunately, there was no way of explaining to him that she wouldn’t be coming home for a long time. I gave Sebastian a few more pats, but that only briefly distracted him. A few seconds later, he was back to staring at the front door. His dogged determination was admirable.
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 55
