Towards the end of the interview, Shannon moved on to more tumultuous subjects.
“Now, I understand that you were the one who found Jessica in her office?”
Cherish nodded. “I… do you want details?”
Shannon shook her head quickly. “No, nothing like that. I just wanted to know if you noticed anything off about her in the days leading up to the event. Did you get the feeling that she thought someone might be after her? Was she acting as though she felt she was in danger in any way? Did she mention any angry ex-boyfriends or upset townspeople? Was there anything at all off about her behavior? Any names you give us will not be printed in the paper, but they may be passed on to the police.”
“Well…” The other woman bit her lip. “There was this one man she felt threatened by. He got into a big argument with her during the fundraiser, and he had filed multiple complaints about the park being built next to his home. I think the police have already spoken with him, though.”
“I see.” Shannon scribbled something down in her notebook. “Was she the only one in charge of the funds that were donated at the fundraiser?”
“No, it was the two of us and the treasurer at City Hall. We were going to go through the donations together that morning and deposit them at the bank later that day. I just wish I had gotten there sooner. I was running late that morning, you see.”
“Is there anything else you'd like to add before we end the interview?”
“I would just like to thank everyone who donated to the park’s fund. It was Jessica’s last dream. That park was her pet project. And if you can, you should print a warning to everyone who donated a check to cancel that check. Any additional donations can be sent directly to City Hall.”
“We’ll do that,” Shannon said, shutting off the voice recorder. “Thanks for doing the interview, Cherish.”
“No, thank you,” the other woman said. “Do you know if the police are getting close to finding out what happened?”
“I don't know anything more about it than you do,” Shannon said. “I do know that it will probably be a couple of weeks until they get results back from the forensics team. Unfortunately, these sorts of things take time. The wheels will move a lot faster once they identify any DNA left behind by the killer.”
“DNA?” the other woman asked, blinking. “Do you think that whoever did it left some behind?”
“It's very likely,” Shannon said. “Even a single hair could be enough to help identify the suspect. It will take time, but I'm sure they will solve this case. Your friend will get the justice she deserves.”
“I hope so,” Cherish said. “I really do. Now that I’m thinking about it, there was this one couple…” She bit her lip, hesitating. “The wife donated quite a sizable amount to us. I saw her husband at the fundraiser afterwards, berating her for it. Jessica told me that he came to the City Hall, asking if they could get a portion of the donation back. They hadn't been planning on spending so much, I guess his wife just got caught up in the moment. Jessica, of course, said that all donations are final. She was very polite about the whole thing, but he was upset, as you might imagine.”
Shannon shot Ellie a look. Ellie raised an eyebrow and gave her friend a slight nod. She would tell Russell all about this later. She had a memory of the couple herself. Was it possible that they had all missed something important?
Chapter Nine
They left shortly after that. Shannon promised to send Cherish a copy of the article, and thanked the woman again for agreeing to the interview. Ellie remained mostly silent. She was eager to get out of there so she could call Russell and tell him about the argument the victim had had the day before she died. She didn't know whether he had already heard about it or not, but it was better safe than sorry.
“Do you still want to get that coffee?” Shannon asked as they got into her car.
“Sure,” Ellie said. “Actually, I’m getting hungry. Do you want to go somewhere with actual food?”
“I wouldn't say no to something to eat,” her friend said, putting the car into gear and backing it out of the driveway. “Do you want to go to Joanna's?”
“Joanna’s sounds perfect.”
Hot Diggity Dog was one of the newest restaurants in Kittiport. Joanna had opened it the year before. It specialized in hotdogs with toppings of every kind imaginable. The hours didn't coincide well with the pizzeria’s hours, so Ellie didn't get to stop by there often, but when she did, she was always impressed with what she ordered.
There was a long line when she and Shannon got there. Ellie spotted Clara, a previous employee of the pizzeria’s, standing behind the counter, and waved to the younger woman. Clara waved back, grinning. She had left on good terms, and Ellie made a point to ask after her whenever she stopped at the hotdog shop.
She and Shannon waited in line for a couple minutes, and when they finally got to the front, Ellie greeted Clara.
“Is everything still going well?” Ellie asked.
“Everything's great,” Clara said. “I'm so glad it's finally warming up outside. I’m dying for flipflop weather. What can I get the two of you?”
“I'll have your New York style hot dog with extra sauerkraut. And can I have honey mustard instead of regular?”
“Sure thing,” Clara said. “And you?”
“Can I get a turkey dog on a pretzel bun with some of your melted cheese sauce?” Shannon said. “Thanks.”
“Is Joanna in?” she asked as Clara rang up their orders.
“She is. She’s in the back, arguing with the person who dropped off our latest bun delivery. They brought the wrong kind. Why on earth would a hotdog shop order hamburger buns?”
“I have no idea,” Ellie said with a chuckle. “Well, if she clears that up before we leave, let her know that Shannon and I are here. But if she can't get away, we completely understand.”
“I will,” Clara said. “Here are your drink cups. I'll have the order out for you in a couple of minutes.”
Ellie and Shannon got their drinks and settled themselves into seats at a table by the window.
“Do you mind if I call Russell really quick?” Ellie said. “I want to tell him how the interview went.”
“Go ahead,” Shannon said, pulling out her cell phone. “I need to check my email anyway.”
Russell answered the call almost immediately. “I was just about to call you.”
“Great minds, and all that,” Ellie said. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“We lost the suspect,” Russell said. “I stopped by his house, but he wasn't there. We tried calling his cell phone, and it went straight to voicemail. I'm holding out hope that he'll stick around town. He has a pretty good job at The Lobster Pot. He’s worked there for quite a few years, and it's possible that he might not be prepared to throw everything away. He also has a girlfriend in town, and we’re keeping an eye on her in case he goes to her for help. We're going to keep looking for him. I just wanted to let you know so you can be on your guard.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I will be. I appreciate the warning.”
“What did you want to talk about?” he asked.
“Shannon and I just got done with Cherish’s interview,” Ellie said. “She mentioned something that I wasn't sure if you were aware of or not.”
In a low voice, she told him about the woman who had donated more money than she should have to the park.
“No, we hadn't heard about that,” Russell said, frowning. “I wonder why she didn't tell me about it when we questioned her after she found the body. Thanks for the heads up, Ellie. I can check into it.”
“I hope it helps,” Ellie said. “Is there any chance you’ll be home for dinner?”
“Not much of one,” Russell said. “I'll try, though.”
“All right,” she said. “I'm at lunch with Shannon right now, and I think our food is on its way to the table, so I’d better get going. I'll see you later tonight either way.”
They said th
eir goodbyes and Ellie hung up the phone. She was just in time; Clara was bringing out a tray with their hotdogs and waffle fries.
“Here you go,” she said cheerily. “Enjoy. Feel free to let me know if you need anything else. How is everyone doing at the pizzeria, Ms. W?”
“Everyone's great, Clara,” Ellie said. “You know, if you're ever looking for more hours, we’re probably going to be hiring another employee this summer.”
“Oh, I don't think I have time,” Clara said. “I'm pretty invested in this place. I'll definitely keep it in mind, though. I might recommend some of my friends to you, if that's all right, once you're ready to start hiring.”
“Of course,” she said. “That would be great. It’s hard to find people I trust.”
“I’ll think about who to send your way. Enjoy your meal, you two. Oh, Joanna said she’ll be out to see you soon.”
Clara returned to her place behind the counter, where a short line was already forming. Ellie grabbed the ketchup bottle from the table and squirted some in her basket. She loved the waffle fries at Hot Diggity Dog. They were just perfect; crispy and always piping hot inside. She dipped one in the ketchup and popped it in her mouth.
“I didn't realize how hungry I was,” she admitted. “I need to stop here more often.”
“Joanna's got great food,” Shannon agreed. “It always hits the spot.”
“It’s always so fast, too. I might need to think about adding some other options to the pizzeria’s menu. Right now, unless someone is just buying a slice, they’re going to have to wait a good fifteen or twenty minutes for their food.”
“That might not be a bad idea. Maybe you could find a way to offer a greater number of options for by-the-slice pizza? Once that new hotel’s built, I’m sure a few new entrepreneurs will pop up. You’re going to have to stay on top of the game.”
“I'll have to make sure I'm up to the competition,” Ellie said. “There will definitely be some changes this summer.”
The next few minutes were spent in silence as the two of them ate their food. It really was good. Joanna had managed to come up with an amazing variety of menu options, and the hotdog shop had only become more popular as time went on. I wonder if she's thought about getting a cart to set up by the marina this summer, Ellie thought she finished off her hot dog. She could just envision it; a food cart with Hot Diggity Dog's logo emblazoned on the canopy, sitting in the park near the marina. She was certain that it would get a lot of business. Maybe we could do something together, she thought. We could split the cost of a food cart and I could serve pizzas by a slice there and she could serve hot dogs, and we could invest in a drink machine and a snow cone machine together.
She pushed the idea to the back of her mind to toy around with later when she spotted Joanna approaching their table. She looked tired, but had a big grin for them.
“Hey, you two. It's been ages since I've seen you.”
“Very funny,” Shannon said, wrinkling her nose at her friend. “It had been ages before the barbecue yesterday, though. We really need to get together more often, all three of us.”
“That we do,” Joanna said, dropping down into the seat next to Shannon, across from Ellie. “Sorry it took me so long to get out here to say hi. I wouldn't usually complain to the delivery driver, since that’s like blaming the messenger for the message, but I know this guy works in the bakery and helps load up his own trucks. We ordered over five-hundred buns, and half of what we received were hamburger buns. What on earth am I supposed to do with two-hundred and fifty hamburger buns?”
“Did you get it sorted out?” Ellie asked.
“Mostly,” Joanna said, shaking her head in exasperation. “He's going to bring the hamburger buns back to the shop, and try to get it sorted out with his boss. I have the same order every time, so I'm not quite sure how they messed it up.”
“Well, at least you don’t have to figure out what to do with a couple hundred hamburger buns,” Ellie said. “It’s always a pain to fix issues with bulk orders.”
“You two and your restaurant talk,” Shannon laughed. “Let's chat about something that all three of us can participate in.”
“We could talk about the one thing everyone’s talking about, but I doubt Ellie will want to talk about that. I'm sure you already have enough of that at home.”
“The murder?” Ellie asked. There was no need to specify which one.
Joanna nodded. “The murder.”
“Well, I don’t have any updates,” Ellie said. “Russell’s still working on the case.”
“It's a shame, what happened. I was so heartbroken when I saw the news.”
“Did you know the victim?” Ellie asked.
“I met her a few times,” Joanna said. “You know how Steve is always having to get permits and stuff from City Hall? I go in his stead sometimes, or I go with him. He didn't talk to the parks department much, but part of the land he’s working on developing was owned by them. He had to get clearance to buy a portion of it for what he wanted to do. It was a bit of a process, but Jessica was very helpful. Everything I knew about her made me think she was a good person. She definitely did not deserve what happened to her.”
“Who knew that small town politics could be so dramatic,” Shannon said. “It sounds like people either loved or hated Jessica.”
“So far, I've only had a chance to talk to the people who loved her,” Ellie said. “I wonder what some of the people who hated her may have to say? There's always two sides to a story, and I suppose it's possible that she wasn't everything that people seem to think she was.”
“I wonder what’s going to happen with the park,” Shannon said. “Are they giving up on it?”
“I hope not,” Ellie said, surprised by the vehemence in her own voice. “If they do, it will just be letting the killer win.”
“Maybe Russell knows something about it,” Joanna suggested.
The pizzeria owner shook her head. “I doubt it. He’s probably too busy working the case to think about the other stuff. Maybe I’ll stop in at City Hall tomorrow to ask what their plans are. I know one thing; if they’re going ahead with it, I’m going to do what I can to help.”
Chapter Ten
The next morning, Ellie stopped off at City Hall before heading to the pizzeria, fighting off the sense of déjà vu from last week. She shut off her car in the parking lot and took a moment to apply her lipstick and fix up her hair in the car. She was well aware that the time might come when she needed a permit for something herself, and thought it best to always make a good impression when she stopped in.
She pushed her way through the two front doors and was immediately greeted by a woman about her age who was sitting behind a desk.
“Hello,” Ellie said. “I'm here to speak to someone in the parks department?”
The other woman made a face. “That's been the busiest department all week,” she said. “After what happened though, I'm not surprised. Go on down the hall, it's the second door on your left.”
“Thanks,” Ellie said. She knew where it was already, but she would have felt rude just walking by the women. I should have called first to make sure Cherish was available, she thought. Oh well, too late now.
She walked down the hall and rapped on the door, pushing it open as she did so. Cherish was at her seat. She looked up and seemed to recognize Ellie, giving her a wave and a quick smile.
“The other Mrs. Ward, right?”
“That’s me. You can call me Ellie, though.”
“You can call me Cherish,” the woman said. “What can I do to help you? Do you need something more for the interview?”
“No, I'm actually just here as me,” Ellie said. “I wanted to know if there's going to be another fundraiser for the park. I want to offer my help a second time if you need it. I can’t imagine what this whole office is going through right now.”
“We’re having a City Hall meeting about it Friday night,” the woman said. “You're welcome to come. There
has been a motion to cancel the entire thing and keep the land up as a natural beauty area.”
“That's just letting whoever did this win,” Ellie said.
“Unfortunately, that's politics for you. Feel free to come speak at the town hall meeting. I think it's going to be pretty busy. Small things like this usually aren't, but with everything that's happened, I have a feeling a lot of people will show up.”
“Thank you for letting me know,” Ellie said. “I'll be there, for sure.”
A Saucy Taste of Murder Page 5
