“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.
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?”
I exhaled. “Is it that obvious?”
David nodded. “To me, it is. Then again, we’ve been together almost thirty years. After all that time, it turns out I know you pretty well.”
“You sure do.”
“The most important thing is, are you going to be okay?”
There was no easy way to answer that. In my mind, this area of town would always be haunted. It didn’t matter how much time had passed. Or that my sister’s killer had been apprehended and was behind bars for the rest of his life.
As it was, Jessica had been dead for over three decades, yet I still got teary-eyed when I thought about the way her life came to an end. I had a feeling that I would always get choked up about it.
Even so, it was one thing to get emotional. It was another to completely fall apart. Given the circumstances, I had to find a way to hold myself together. I decided the best course of action was to change the subject.
“Why don’t we talk about something else?” I said.
“If that’s what you want,” David said.
“What I want is for Jessica to be alive again. But I know she’s gone forever.”
“Do you want me to drop you off at home?”
I shook my head. “No. I have already shed plenty of tears over my sister’s death. Sitting at home all day thinking about how much I miss her isn’t going to do me any good. Instead, let’s just focus on the Peterson case.”
“All right. Well, if you change your mind—”
“David, I understand that you’re just looking out for me. And I really appreciate that. But we have a job to do.”
“Okay. Well, I’m here if you need me,” David said.
I smiled at him. “Thanks.”
Chapter Twelve
David and I arrived at Trevor Bailey’s house a few minutes later. As David parked on the street in front of Trevor’s brown Spanish-style house, I mustered all the resolve that I could. When we got out of the car, we both saw a red sedan parked in Trevor’s driveway. To me, that was a good sign. It meant that Trevor was probably home. Whether he would open the door for us was a different story.
David knocked a few times. Unfortunately, Trevor didn’t answer. So, David waited a couple of seconds and knocked again. Once more, the door didn’t open.
David then leaned forward and yelled, “Mr. Bailey, if you’re in there, please come out.”
This time, he did get a response. Although, it didn’t come from inside the house.
Instead, David and I were both startled by the sound of a dark barking behind us.
We whirled around and saw a German shepherd standing in the walkway. Thankfully, the dog was on a leash, or it would have surely charged at us.
Trevor Bailey was the man holding the dog’s leash. The twenty-eight-year-old was tall, burly, and had a menacing look on his oval face. There was also a sleeve of tattoos on both of his arms.
He sounded thoroughly annoyed as he addressed us. “Who are you and what do you want?”
The dog barked at David and I again.
“Mr. Bailey, will you please tell your dog to calm down?” David asked.
Trevor looked at his dog. “Zeus doesn’t like strangers and neither do I. Now who are you?”
David pulled out his police badge. “My name is Detective David Carlson.” He nudged his head toward me. “And this is Sabrina.”
“A detective? Is this about my case? Because I have nothing more to say until the trial begins,” Trevor said.
David put his hand up. “Your drug arrest is a separate matter.”
Trevor squinted. “Why are you here then?”
“We’d like to have a few words with you—”
David’s sentence was interrupted by the dog barking.
Once the German shepherd was finished, David spoke up again.
“Preferably without the dog here,” David said.
“Instead of focusing on my dog, why don’t you tell me what this is about?” Trevor said.
“I will tell you. Once that dog is back inside your house,” David said.
Trevor snickered. “What’s the matter? Are you afraid of Zeus?”
“Mr. Bailey. This isn’t a game. We just came here to ask you a few simple questions. There’s no reason to make things difficult.”
Trevor scoffed. “Me? You won’t even tell me why you’re here.”
“I’m going to tell you one last time. Put the dog inside,” David said.
“What if I refuse?”
“Do you really want to play with fire?” David asked. “Because let me tell you something. I’m going to get my questions answered. The only thing left to be determined is whether it will happen here or back at the police station.”
Trevor’s eyes widened. He took a moment to think over David’s statement. “All right.”
Trevor then brought his dog inside. Once the German shepherd was in the house, Trevor walked back out to his front yard.
“Are you going to tell me what this is about now?” Trevor asked.
“Deputy Rick Peterson was murdered last night,” David said.
Trevor held his pointer finger up. “Wait a minute. I have a feeling where you’re going with this, and I’m going to stop you right now—”
“Why? Because you’re afraid of what we’re going to ask you?” David said.
Trevor shook his head. “No. Because I had nothing to do with Peterson’s murder.”
David folded his arms. “Is that so?”
Trevor nodded. “It is. I didn’t even know anything had happened to Peterson until you just told me.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“Trevor, you’re not exactly a reliable source. I mean, at your arraignment, you pled not guilty to drug charges even though Peterson found cocaine in your pocket when he arrested you.”
“I’m telling you the truth. I had nothing to do with Peterson’s death,” Trevor said.
“If that’s true then prove it,” David said.
Trevor shrugged. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“Tell me where you were last night,” David said.
>
“That’s easy,” Trevor said. “I was here.”
“Were you alone?” David asked.
Trevor shook his head. “No.”
David’s eyes widened. “Who was with you?”
“Zeus.”
David groaned. “This isn’t a joke.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Trevor asked.
David gritted his teeth before responding. “Was anyone else here with you? For example, someone who can confirm your story?”
“No,” Trevor said. “But I was here.”
“I really wish I could believe that.”
Trevor threw out his arms. “What’s stopping you?”
“Your alibi is only as believable as my ability to confirm it,” David said.
“This is ridiculous. I didn’t kill Peterson. End of story,” Trevor said.
David shook his head. “You don’t get to decide when this conversation is over.”
“Yeah, I do. If you want to know anything else, you can talk to my lawyer,” Trevor said. “I’m going back inside.”
Chapter Thirteen
What an abrupt way for a conversation to end. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much David could do. Even if David dragged Trevor back to the police station, he didn’t have any proof that Trevor was guilty. Without evidence, David couldn’t detain Trevor for long. Especially if Trevor’s lawyer got involved.
So, instead of forcing the issue with Trevor, David and I turned our focus to Xavier Richardson. Xavier was an ex-convict who was currently out on parole. He had spent eight years behind bars for assaulting his girlfriend. Peterson was the officer who arrested him and put him behind bars.
Given Xavier’s violent history, David and I had every right to be on our toes going into this interview. Unfortunately, speaking with Xavier meant that my husband and I had to drive over to the east side of town. That area of Treasure Cove had always been the wrong side of the tracks.
While the city council had made a concerted effort to try and clean up the neighborhood over the last decade or so, it was still rough around the edges. There was still a grit to the east side. If I had to guess, that would always be the case.
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 58
