Sledding Away with Murder (Sweetfern Harbor Mystery Book 21)

by Wendy Meadows

  “Which one killed Travis?” Mac said. “You will be in more trouble if you continue to hedge around it all.”

  Joanna’s fingers twitched. Ethan glanced at her and then focused on Mac and Brenda. “Miranda killed him. After she did it, Harry paced back and forth. We didn’t see him help her.”

  “We can’t be sure if he helped or not.” Joanna shuddered. “It was awful. I turned away and begged Ethan to leave. That time, he agreed. Neither of us saw everything.”

  “Before you leave Sweetfern Harbor, stop at the police station again,” Brenda said. “It won’t take long. Name the time.”

  Ethan wished again he had never stopped the sled. So much for wanting to be helpful. “We can be there in half an hour. That will give us time to load the car and check out.”

  The Yoders entered the precinct as agreed. They told their story again to Mac and Brenda. “We first said both of them had done it,” Ethan said. “Later, we realized we hadn’t seen Harry participate at all. Miranda swung something at Travis and knocked him down. We were shocked. We were both frozen for a second before we hurried to get on the sled and finish the race.”

  “If all of this is true, how did Miranda and Harry get ahead of you?” Mac kept his eyes on the two.

  “Our hearts weren’t in it any longer,” Ethan said. “We were processing what we had seen. We weren’t racing, just sledding to get it all done. That’s how they overtook us. We were spent.”

  Ethan recalled how they spotted Miranda and Harry pass them and race to the finish as if they had done nothing wrong along the way.

  Mac asked all the questions he could think of before releasing the former Amish couple. He reminded them to check in with him before they left the area completely.

  Once outside, Joanna commented. “We’ll never be the same again, Ethan.” She bit her tongue before the words of accusation spilled out. She knew that what had happened had passed and was out of her control now. The fact was that Ethan chose to lose the race to help someone in need. Obviously, neither Miranda nor Harry had needed anything.

  10

  Miranda was taken from her cell and brought to the interrogation room again. “We have witnesses who saw you strike Travis with a club. Do you wish to change your story again for us?” Brenda asked. Miranda shifted before regaining her composure.

  “If there are witnesses, they aren’t telling the truth. Harry was the one who did it. I tried to stop him, but he became insane. I learned he had the same jealous nature Travis had.”

  Mac assured her the truth would come out soon enough. “We found the murder weapon.” A light ashen color flooded Miranda’s face. “As soon as we get DNA results back, we’ll know who not only threw it into the woods but also who the real murderer is.”

  Later that day, results came back that affirmed the blood on the bat was Travis’s. Mac and Brenda waited to get the full results.

  While they discussed everything, Mac’s cell rang. “This is Officer Thompson, Detective. Harry Brooks’s lawyer has stated they are ready to talk.”

  Brenda and Mac jumped up and hurried to Interrogation Room 2. Harry looked better than he had before Jason Mitchell had arrived.

  “My client wishes to make a full confession of the facts of this case,” he said.

  Harry cleared his throat. “Miranda complained to me ahead of the race that she wouldn’t be surprised to see Travis somewhere along the route. She expected him to spy on her since she was with me on the sled.” He glanced at his lawyer, who nodded for him to continue. “I asked her what he thought we’d be doing while trying to win a race. She shrugged her shoulders and said that whatever he tried, she was ready. I wondered at her words but had no clue what was about to happen.”

  The room grew still before he resumed. “I’m a respectable professional. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be caught up in something like this.” Everyone waited. “I didn’t ask her how she was ready. I didn’t even expect to see him anywhere near the track, for that matter. It wasn’t as if the race went on for miles. I did expect him to be there to snatch Miranda away when we got to the finish line.”

  Mac tolerated his pauses. Brenda grew more impatient. “When did you see Travis?”

  “Miranda spotted him first. She said she saw him, and he was running toward the tree line. In her words, he wanted to be hidden so he could watch out for us without being seen. He was too late. She told me to stop the sled. I told her we’d lose for sure if we did that. She was adamant. I thought she was going to argue with him. Arguing was about all they’d done since arriving in Sweetfern Harbor.”

  “Who got out of the sled first when you stopped?” Brenda kept her eyes on the suspect.

  “Miranda jumped from it before it stopped. She marched over to Travis, who emerged from the trees. She yelled at him to leave us alone. Then she spun around and came back and reached for something in the sled.”

  “What was it?” Mac said.

  “My baseball bat. I had just purchased it from the vintage store downtown the day before. It had been in my car. I have no idea when she took it, nor did I know how she hid it in the sled without my noticing it.”

  “How could she have hidden it in a sled?” Brenda said.

  “She sat behind me. The only thing I can figure out is that she had it by her side from the start line.”

  Mac and Brenda tried to envision that scene. Neither of them believed Harry hadn’t seen her do that. How could he have missed something like a baseball bat being placed in the sled alongside Miranda?

  They encouraged Harry to continue. “I stood there in shock while I watched her swing the bat when Travis turned to leave us. He fell down instantly, but she swung again. I suppose she wanted to make sure he was dead.” Harry buried his face in his hands. Mac offered a drink to him, which he declined. “I asked her what in the world was she thinking. She actually smiled at me and said we shouldn’t have any more trouble from Travis from now on. Then she told me to make better time on the sled so we wouldn’t come in last.”

  He shook his head in disbelief. “I never would have imagined her doing something so horrific as that was.”

  Brenda watched Harry spin his version of the tale.

  Mac paused in the middle of the interview. He stood up. “I need a break from this.”

  Brenda looked up in disbelief. Her husband had never left in the middle of an interrogation before. She worried he was ill and followed him out of the room. Harry appeared just as surprised.

  When Brenda joined Mac, she asked if he was ill.

  “No, I’m all right, Brenda. There are times when these interrogations get to me. I’m frustrated that there are so many versions to it all.” He wiped his brow. “I’m ready to go back in.” Brenda made a mental note to pay closer attention to Mac’s needs. He settled down in the chair across from the suspect and resumed with no apology.

  “Were you the one who threw the bat into the woods?” Mac focused on his suspect.

  Harry resumed as if there had been no interruption. “Miranda swung the bat around in the air to get momentum and threw it. I was surprised how far it went. I did expect it to be found and traced back to me. I’m sure my fingerprints are on it since I’m the one who bought it at the shop.”

  “You realize you are an accessory to murder by withholding this information,” Brenda said. Harry nodded.

  “We would like to make a deal since he has confessed,” Jason said.

  Mac’s look gave the lawyer little hope for that. “Usually deals are cut before confessions,” Mac said. He and Brenda had agreed before this meeting that it was time to ask Harry about the onyx stone.

  Brenda slid the clear evidence bag across the table. She watched Harry’s face. “Do you recognize this charm?” she asked him.

  “That’s the only thing Miranda worried about. When we finished the race, she realized the chain around her neck was broken and the onyx was missing. We couldn’t go back and look for it. She had already made sure footprints were cov
ered over. I scuffed over the sled tracks before we left.”

  When Mac felt he had enough information, he allowed Harry to return to his cell. His lawyer followed behind him. Mac dismissed Brenda’s concern about him. He failed to understand himself why he had to leave in the middle of an interrogation.

  “His story sounds more plausible than the several Miranda has told us,” Brenda said. “And he named Miranda as the killer, as did Joanna and Ethan.” Brenda sighed. “How will we ever know the full truth?”

  “We’ll know plenty more when the rest of the evidence has been processed,” Mac said. “It’s time to decide our approach to Miranda. She’s the one card in common with three witnesses so far.”

  “Are you sure you are all right, Mac?”

  “I’m fine, Brenda. I don’t know what came over me in there.”

  Miranda wished she had pursued intimidation of the Yoders before she landed in jail. Just before the murder she thought she saw them watching a few yards back across the track. She surmised since they had recently left an Amish community, they could easily be intimidated. So much had moved so fast since the murder that there had been no time to get to them. She smiled to herself, convinced they were too meek to have told the police what they had seen. Amish people never wished to get involved in issues with the law.

  Miranda muttered unsavory words under her breath as she recalled how enamored she had been with Travis. He made her feel important enough that someone with his status fell in love with her. She foolishly believed he had no problems with her career choice. It didn’t take long for her to know what he really thought of it. During the first year of marriage, she clung to her love for him. She even convinced herself that he truly did love her, too. When disagreements between them increased, she realized he had two personalities. One was the one he displayed in public when she was on his arm. The other one was when he criticized her for her choice to sing in a nightclub. He never understood the fact that she had a voice that everyone else recognized as talent.

  “Let’s take a break, Brenda.” Mac reached for her hand. “I’m ready to get a bite to eat. How about something light from the Italian restaurant?”

  Brenda laughed. “What have you ever had that was light in that restaurant? Let’s go.”

  They found a table for two toward the back of the restaurant. It was early for dinner, but neither had eaten since the light lunch at the B&B. They knew they had a long night ahead of them. Mac looked across at Brenda. He wished they had more time for intimate dinners like they did during their courtship. It seemed each grew busier by the day.

  “We should start taking one night a week to do something just for us,” Mac said.

  “I agree. I’ve missed going out like this.”

  “Next week, we’ll do it again. The exception will be that I won’t be in uniform. We’ll both dress up and make a night of it.”

  “It’s a promise,” Brenda said. They enjoyed the dinner without mentioning the case. It was the only way to clear their minds for the next step.

  Miranda sat before Mac and Brenda. Chief Bob Ingram stood watching through the one-way mirror. He noted when Mac turned the recorder on.

  “This is your last chance to tell the whole truth, Miranda. Do you wish to have a lawyer present?”

  Miranda shrugged. “Our lawyer is out in Oakland. I suppose he could make it here in a short time. I should say he is Travis’s lawyer. I’m not so sure he will represent me since I seem to be a suspect on your list. He was quite devoted to Travis.”

  “Do you wish to have one here appointed by the court?” Mac asked.

  She shrugged again. “I don’t think any lawyer would be of help to me.”

  “So, you are waiving that right?”

  “Go ahead and ask away.”

  “I understand how your love for Travis may have lessened,” Brenda said. “I can also understand how you must have felt when he put you down for doing something you loved doing.”

  “He often did that to me. When we were out in public, he made sure everyone understood that this was a temporary thing for me. There were times I almost complied and went back to college for him. I wanted him to be proud of me, but he never could unless I agreed to get into the professional world like he had done.”

  “He should have understood that. If he had really loved you, he would have allowed you to be whoever you wanted to be.” Brenda leaned closer, her eyes filled with empathy.

  “You are so right, Brenda. He loved me because of my good looks. I don’t believe he ever tried to get to know the real me. Everyone I’ve met over the years liked me. I am easy to get along with. He didn’t know what he had.”

  “Is that why you felt you had to kill him? I mean, if I’d married someone like that and discovered his true feelings, I’d be angry enough to do something to him, too.” Brenda kept her eyes on Miranda. She reached for the suspect’s hand. Miranda didn’t pull back. “Did you know he would be along the track? Is that why you brought the bat along with you?”

  Miranda’s eyes darted back and forth for a split second. Then she nodded. “I learned one thing from him. He had a pattern of spying on me when he knew other men were anywhere near me. I knew we’d see him somewhere along the route.”

  “What did you do when you spotted him?”

  Mac held back. He was more than pleased with Brenda’s approach. Her knack for drawing the suspect in reminded him of a fly in the web.

  “I was ready. I stole a bat from Harry’s car. Then I followed my plan of how to get it onto the sled when no one was looking. I secured it under my pantleg. It was clasped under my belt, but I kept my hand on it to make sure it was secure. Once on the sled, I slipped it out and placed it beside me.” She lowered her eyes. “I had no doubt we’d see Travis.”

  “Did Travis speak to you when you got off the sled?” Brenda said.

  “He started to say something, but I yelled at him to leave us alone. I’d had enough of the man. It was time. I jerked back to the sled and grabbed the bat. I remember Harry screaming at me to stop. I had no intention of stopping. I swung just as Travis tried to walk back toward the woods. He didn’t even see the bat. I swung and hit him on the back of his head. He dropped like a leaf. I had to make sure he was dead. I swung again. I think I hit the side of his face that time.”

  “What did Harry do then?”

  “He didn’t say anything at all. I think he was in shock. I swung the bat around several times and threw it as far as I could into the trees. I figured eventually it would be found, but what else could I do? Harry was back on the sled. He stared straight ahead and didn’t ask questions or make any comments at all. I told him we were free to do whatever we wanted to do now. No more Travis.” Her face relaxed. “I had to take advantage of the opportunity when it came along, you know.”

  Silence pervaded the small room. Miranda wanted to continue. “I thought I saw Joanna and Ethan on the other side of the road. I planned to intimidate them to the point where they’d be too scared to say anything if they witnessed it all. They were once Amish, or did you know that?” Brenda nodded her head. “I told Harry to speed up so it wouldn’t look as if we had stopped for anything along the way. That was the only time he spoke. He said, ‘Miranda, why did you do that?’ I was surprised at his question.”

  Brenda once again slid the clear evidence bag across the table. Miranda looked twice at the stone. “Where did you find this? I missed it when I discovered my chain was broken.”

  “It was at the murder scene.”

  “I told Harry we should go back out there before the body was discovered and look for it. He wanted no part of that. I should have gone back on my own.”

  Mac and Brenda didn’t mention it wouldn’t have made any difference to the case.

  Brenda felt numb when they returned to Mac’s office. Chief Ingram joined them.

  “That was some confession,” he said. “Brenda, you did a great job getting her to confide in you like that.”

  “Whatever
happened to the choice of divorce these days?” Mac said. “I never understand why they don’t just choose to part ways. Instead, some choose murder. I just don’t get it.”

  “There is no understanding it,” Brenda said. “What happens to Harry now?”

  “It may be time to cut that deal,” Mac said. “We have three witnesses to state Miranda was the murderer. The killer herself has shown us that Harry had no part in it, but he is a star witness.”

  “We can take it to the prosecutor after we get the full results on the evidence found,” Chief Ingram said. “Let’s all get some sleep and get back on it tomorrow.” The agreement was unanimous.

  11

  The next morning, Brenda discovered two of her guests had remained one more night. Allie told her that Jillian and Wanda asked for it. “We have four other rooms empty until tomorrow. I knew you wouldn’t object to it.” Brenda assured her it was fine.

  Chef Pierre was personally serving her two remaining guests when Brenda entered. They beamed when they saw her. “We’re getting first-class service, Brenda,” Wanda said. “Chef Pierre has cooked our favorites.”

  The chef beamed along with the women. “I couldn’t let our die-hards leave hungry.” He asked Brenda what she wanted to eat. She gave her order as Phyllis walked in. “What do you want for breakfast, Phyllis?” Pierre asked.

  “Take advantage, Phyllis. He’s in a generous mood this morning,” Brenda said.

  “I’ve eaten but not enough.” Phyllis placed her order and sat down with a cup of coffee in her hand.

  Brenda and Phyllis enjoyed the association with the remaining two guests.

  “Have you made any decisions on your future, Wanda?” Phyllis asked.

  “Yes, I have. I’ve decided to continue in the education field. I just needed a good break. I’m ready to take it up again.”

  Jillian told them she was going to return to the B&B one day. “I love this place, and the town of Sweetfern Harbor, too.” She hesitated. “I don’t want to ruin a sunny day, Brenda, but did Miranda and Harry really kill Travis?”