The Bakers and Bulldogs Mysteries Collection: 20 Book Box Set

by Rosie Sams

  Reaching under the big red planter beside the door, Melody found the spare key that Kerry kept there in case of emergencies. She placed the key into the lock and slowly let herself into the house. It was just as dark and quiet inside as it had appeared to be outside. Hesitantly stepping over the threshold, she called out to Kerry but didn’t get a response.

  “Hello? Kerry, it’s us, Melody and Smudge,” she tried again, this time a little louder. Smudge looked up at her, ears perked and her head tilted questioningly. Melody shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know where she could be, girl. I thought for sure she would have come straight home.” Taking one last look around, Melody turned to leave but was stopped by a strange sound that grabbed her attention. Smudge heard it too, and froze. Letting out a whine, she began pulling at her leash, intent on heading towards the bedroom at the back of the house.

  Making their way down the long hallway, the sound was becoming louder. It seemed as though someone was moaning. Smudge began tugging at the leash frantically and they both took off running towards the sound.

  “Kerry!” Melody’s voice was panicked as she swung open the bedroom door and her heart stopped at the sight of the crumpled and bloodied body that lay on the floor at the foot of the bed. To her shock and surprise though, it wasn’t her friend.

  A small pool of blood was oozing onto the carpet from the head of Bradford Smedley. The man was groaning in pain, and was barely conscious. A broken lamp lay shattered at his side. There were shards of glass and porcelain everywhere and the sheets of the bed and its comforter were stained with blood as well. It was a horrific scene. Most definitely a crime scene.

  What had happened, and where was Kerry?

  Chapter Seventy-Nine

  “Bradford! My God! Are you all right?" Melody’s voice quivered with fear at the horrific sight that lay before her.

  Bradford mustered a painful groan in response.

  She grabbed a towel and tried to stop the flow of blood that was a continuous trickle from his head wound and Smudge, doing her best to help, licked the beaten man’s face.

  “Don’t worry, Bradford, I’m going to get you some help. Hang in there, you’re going to be ok. I promise.”

  She got him to hold the towel in place while she pulled out her phone. Melody dialed 911 and urgently called for an ambulance and the police. This man needed help, and needed it fast. He was losing a lot of blood and was in excruciating pain. The dispatcher on the other end of the line assured her that help was on its way and Melody relayed this message to Bradford.

  “Just a few more minutes and the police will be here, Brad. Everything is going to be just fine.” Her heart was beating a mile a minute but she kept her voice calm and steady, for Bradford’s sake.

  It was only a few minutes before help arrived. With Alvin off duty for the night, the town deputy, Hudson Lowe, was the first one on the scene. He poked his head through the door and looked around.

  “Please hurry, Hudson!” Melody pleaded, shaking her head. Hudson was a nice man, but he was the bumbling, stuttering type who barely knew his way around a crime scene. He entered the room, nearly tripped over Bradford’s body and immediately started to mutter his apologies. “Hudson, please. Let's focus here.” Melody knew that she needed to take charge of the situation before the deputy destroyed some important evidence with his clumsiness. “You need to secure the perimeter and start searching for clues. We need to find out who did this!”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Hudson bashfully stammered and finally got to work.

  Seconds later the town doctor rushed in. Ambrose Mitchum was a skilled and able doctor and it took him only a moment’s examination to determine that Bradford was in rough shape.

  “This man needs to be taken to the Port Warren Hospital immediately. He has had a nasty bash on the head. He has lost a lot of blood and is most certainly suffering from a concussion, if not worse.” The doctor was quick to announce his diagnosis. He called to check up on the ambulance and efficiently got to work bandaging up Bradford as best as he could while waiting for the transport to arrive.

  Melody took a step back and watched the scene around her unfold. She was trying to stay calm and to take it all in.

  The rest of Port Warren’s police force had arrived and like a swarm of worker bees were buzzing around the house. They were working diligently, dusting for fingerprints, taking crime scene photos and making notes. The whole house had gone from quiet and empty to bustling and noisy in a matter of just a few minutes.

  “What a night this has been, eh, Smudge?” The little dog looked up at her and wagged her stumpy tail in agreement. Melody looked around and decided that everything was under control and it was probably best for her and Smudge to head home and inform Alvin of the events that had just taken place.

  As she was heading out of the front door, she spied a figure standing in the shadows of a large oak tree, just down the street. “That person looks familiar. Is that Kerry?” she wondered aloud, and Smudge gave a little yip and a tug on the leash confirming her thoughts. Looking behind her, to make sure no one was watching, Melody made her way towards her friend.

  Kerry was tucked back behind the tree, peering out from behind and watching all of the commotion. She was still dressed in her satin gown and heels but her hair was disheveled and her eyes were wide with fright.

  “Kerry! Are you ok?”

  “I’m fine, Mel. But what’s going on at my house? I saw all of the flashing lights and policemen and I was terrified to go any closer. What’s wrong, what’s happened here?” Kerry’s voice quivered with a mixture of fear and confusion.

  “It’s really bad, Kerry.” Melody broke the news to her friend. “It’s Bradford. He’s been brutally beaten. Smudge and I came here looking for you and instead we found him, lying on your bedroom floor bleeding from a nasty head wound.”

  “Is he ok?” Kerry’s voice was filled with genuine concern.

  “He’s alive, but he’s in a lot of pain and is being taken to the hospital for urgent treatment. I think he will be ok but it’s going to be a long recovery.”

  "I can't believe it." Kerry's voice was filled with confusion. "I mean, who would do such a thing?"

  "I was going to ask you the same question." Melody looked at her friend questioningly.

  “You don’t think that I could do something like this, do you, Mel?” The hurt was evident in Kerry’s voice.

  “No, I don’t, Kerry. But we need to get to the bottom of this, and it doesn’t look good for you. I mean, I did find Bradford severely injured, on your bedroom floor. Do you know anything at all?”

  Kerry sighed and recounted what she could remember of the evening’s events. “All I know is that after the ball, I needed some air to try and calm down. I started walking and took the long way home. Walking through town. Once I reached my front porch, I heard a noise behind me. Bradford had followed me home and was trying to explain himself and apologize for everything that had happened. Frustrated and upset, I didn’t want to hear any of it and I took off down the street, leaving Bradford behind. I may have left the door unlocked when I left, I really can’t remember. I was so flustered and upset. Oh, Melody. What are we going to do?” Panic was starting to set in as the seriousness of the situation was becoming evident to Kerry.

  Smudge could sense her fear, and in an effort to console her, snuggled up against her leg.

  “Don’t worry, Kerry, Smudge and I will look after you. You obviously can’t go home right now and Alvin is back at my place. It’s probably best if we don’t involve him just yet, so it looks like you will have to hide out in the pastry shop until we can get to the bottom of this. Don’t worry, we will find out exactly what happened to Smedley. Follow me, we will take the back route where no one will see us.”

  Sticking to the shadows, Melody led Kerry to the bakery and let her in through the back door where they wouldn’t be seen. “You’ll be safe here, Ker. Just make yourself comfortable in the backroom and keep quiet. Smudge and I ar
e on the case. We are going to find out who did this and clear your name as soon as possible. You just hang in there!”

  “Melody, I swear I had nothing to do with all of this. Thank you so much for believing me and thank you for doing everything you can to help.”

  Hugging her friend, Melody assured her that she would do everything in her power to keep her friend safe and find out who had injured Bradford Smedley.

  Chapter Eighty

  The following morning, Melody’s thoughts were focused on the events of the night before as she made breakfast for Alvin. Her mind was filled with questions and thoughts of Kerry, as she expertly flipped a pancake in the air with a quick flick of her wrist. “Here you go, Al,” she said cheerily, hiding the anxiety in her voice, as she served him a big batch of fluffy pancakes. “How are you feeling today?” she asked for the hundredth time.

  “Oh, Mel, you’re just the sweetest. This breakfast looks amazing!” He smiled at her. “Don’t worry, I’m still doing ok. You took such good care of me last night, I feel one hundred percent better. That tea and a good night’s rest was all that I needed to fight off that nasty cold and start getting back to normal.” Al winked at her as he took a bite of his pancake and closed his eyes to enjoy the flavor. He was well aware of how lucky he was to be dating the town’s award-winning baker.

  As Mel turned away, he snuck a little bit of pancake off his plate and passed it down to Smudge, who sat next to her chair. The Frenchie took it with delight and smacked her lips as she swallowed.

  “I heard that,” Melody said. “That dog will be as big as a house if you keep spoiling her.”

  Smudge ran over to Melody, did three spins on the trot and then jumped up and yipped with joy.

  “I doubt it,” Al said. “She never sits still long enough.” The two of them laughed as Smudge returned to Al’s side, looking up adoringly at him as she begged for more.

  Al’s moment of enjoyment was disrupted however, by a short knock on the door. Jumping up to see who it could be, Melody opened the door to find Deputy Hudson Lowe standing there uncomfortably, his hat in his hand, as he fiddled with the brim.

  “Mornin’, Miss,” Hudson stuttered, barely making eye contact with her as she flagged him in.

  “Good morning, Deputy,” Melody greeted in return. “What brings you here so early this morning?” Melody was hoping that something other than the Smedley case had brought him to her house, especially since she hadn’t had the courage to bring Alvin up to speed on it yet.

  “Well... I thought I should stop by and fill the sheriff in on last night’s events.”

  “What events are those, Hudson?”

  Melody jumped at the sound of Alvin’s voice right behind her. She was unaware that he had got up from the table and had followed her to the door.

  Hudson looked at Melody and his eyes widened a little as he turned back to the sheriff. “There was a bit of a lover’s quarrel in town last night, Sheriff. Not long after the Winter Ball, the entire police department was put to work. Melody here, called in to report a brutal beating that had taken place at Kerry Porter’s home.”

  “What?” Alvin looked at Melody and she shrugged.

  “You were not well enough to be running out.”

  Alvin nodded. “Go on, Deputy.”

  Hudson swallowed. “We arrived at the scene to find Bradford Smedley beaten and bruised. The man was barely conscious and was incoherent. He was lying on Miss Porter’s bedroom floor, in a pool of his own blood, surrounded by shattered glass. This was from the lamp that appeared to have been smashed over his head. He was taken to the hospital, where he still resides, and is receiving treatment. It looks as though he will be ok, but I’m certain it will be a long recovery. As for Kerry, we are still uncertain of her whereabouts.”

  “Hmmm…” Alvin murmured, taking in the information he had just been told and casting a sideways glance at Melody.

  At the mention of Kerry being missing she was doing everything she could to avoid Alvin’s gaze.

  Alvin turned back to Hudson. “Why don’t you head back over to the crime scene, Deputy, and see if you can find out any further information. Perhaps some of the neighbors saw what happened. Questioning them should be our next step. I’ll meet you there shortly to help out with the leg-work, I just have a few things to tend to first.”

  Hudson agreed and shuffled off out the door.

  Closing the door behind him and leaning up against it, Al looked over at Melody questioningly. “Anything you want to tell me?” He lifted an eyebrow, and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for her response.

  “Nope, nothing at all,” Melody chirped back, shrugging her shoulders and keeping her eyes averted.

  “I see,” Alvin said. “So you just happened to forget to tell me that you witnessed a crime scene last night?”

  “You were sick and fast asleep by the time I got home, Al. I didn’t want to wake you and I didn’t want to bombard you with all this information first thing in the morning. I was not sure how well you really were. I wanted you to have time to finish your breakfast, then I planned on telling you everything… only, Hudson got to you first.”

  “And you have absolutely no idea where Kerry might be?”

  “Nope. No idea at all,” Melody lied. “But I’ve been thinking it over and I betcha I know who the culprit is. It has to be that Miranda St. George. Who else would want to hurt Bradford and put Kerry under suspicion all at the same time? It has to be her.”

  “All right. I’ll humor you on this one, Mel. I’m going to go and question Miranda and see what she has to say about all of this. Are you coming with me?”

  Thinking for a minute, Melody decided that the best thing for her to do was to follow along with Alvin. After all, she just might be able to help Alvin out and get to the bottom of exactly what happened to Bradford. “I’m definitely coming!”

  Waiting for Alvin to get a few steps ahead of her, she quietly shot off a quick text message to Kerry, telling her to hang in there and letting her know that Alvin and she were on their way to do some investigative work. She sent another to Leslie, giving her a heads up that Kerry was hiding out in the shop.

  “Wait for me, Al,” she called, running to catch up and hopping into the passenger side of the cruiser. “I think we are going to have a busy day ahead of us!”

  Chapter Eighty-One

  The cruiser pulled into the small parking lot of the quaint bed and breakfast where Miranda St. George was staying. The small, historic building was a popular location for tourists. It was owned and operated by an older couple who were known for their attention to detail and exceptional customer service. Guests were always raving about their stays, many of them leaving five-star reviews.

  They waited at the reception desk; the clerk recognized the sheriff and was extremely cooperative. He quickly offered up the room number where the couple would find Miss St. George and gave them directions to the room.

  Making their way down the hallway, Al stopped and looked at Melody. “I appreciate you accompanying me, Mel, but remember, I’m the cop here, so let me do the talking. We don’t want to upset anyone, we want to make sure we get as much information as possible. Ok?”

  Melody nodded her head in agreement but she had already formulated a list of questions in her head. She would do her best, but she wasn’t too sure she was going to be able to keep them to herself. After all, she had promised Kerry that she would do everything she could to help her.

  Reaching Miranda’s door, Alvin gave a polite knock. Seconds later the door opened and they were face to face with Miranda. Although it was still quite early in the morning, she appeared as if she had been awake for hours. Her hair was perfect, her makeup nicely done and she was well dressed in a pant-suit and heels.

  Perhaps she knew she would have company this morning, Melody mused to herself. Or maybe she hasn’t even been to bed yet.

  “What a surprise, Sherriff,” Miranda said, sounding not nearly as surprised as one would expe
ct when opening the door and finding a policeman standing there. “Now, to what do I owe the honor of having a visitor as distinguished as yourself, so early in the morning?”

  “Good morning, Miss St. George. I have a few questions that I would like to ask you. I hope that you will be cooperative with us?” Alvin was professional and to the point, his years of experience were evident in his no-nonsense tone of voice.

  “Why of course, Sheriff. I’d be happy to tell you anything at all that you need.”

  Melody thought it was strange that she didn’t ask what this was about.

  Miranda invited them into her small but tastefully decorated suite and offered them a seat on an antique settee that was placed under the window.

  Looking around Melody noticed that the bed was already made and nothing at all seemed out of place. The place was spic and span. Thinking back to her vacation in Paris, Melody remembered that their hotel room was always a bit chaotic, she never could seem to get organized when living out of a suitcase.

  Alvin ran through the usual questions to determine where Miranda had been the night before and exactly what she did after leaving the Winter Ball. He was trying to establish an alibi and Miranda was happy to comply. According to her, she had gone straight back to the bed and breakfast and had gone right to sleep.

  “I came here to do exactly what I intended, to make a fool out of Bradford. Seeing him bumbling at the ball was satisfaction enough for me,” she said with a mean smirk on her face. “I knew I’d sleep soundly and have good dreams last night and I did! If you want proof of my whereabouts, you can even check with the front desk staff. I’m sure they would have seen me come in around ten o’clock. But, Sheriff Hennessey, what is this all about? Why do you have so many questions for me? I can’t help but think that something has happened.”