by Rosie Sams
Alvin wasn’t quite sure that he could believe her. She seemed reluctant to make eye contact with him while she spoke. He jotted a few more points down.
“Besides, Sheriff, the fact that I was friends with the high school gym teacher doesn’t alter the fact that it was Melody’s hands that were literally stained with my husband’s blood.”
Alvin ignored her last comment and continued his questioning. “What about the homeless man from around town. Can you think of any motive that he may have to have wanted your husband dead?”
“No! Of course not!” Drusilla was quick to reply.
“Even though you assaulted him in public, chased him away from his only source of food, and almost had him hit by a car?”
Drusilla sputtered, unsure of what to say. “You and I both know that it was Melody.”
Smudge growled and then jumped up and barked at Drusilla. The woman backed away quickly.
Alvin flipped his notepad closed and tucked it away, back into his pocket. “Well, Smudge, I think our work here is done for now.” Turning to Drusilla, he thanked her for her cooperation and let her know that he would be in touch again soon.
Walking down Main Street, Alvin turned to the pup. “I think we should try to find Jake. Melody doesn’t seem to think that he could be a suspect, but I don’t think asking him a few questions would hurt. Besides, he spends a lot of his time in the back alleyways of Port Warren, you never know what he may have seen.”
Smudge barked her consent and wagged her tail, excited at the prospect of seeing her good friend.
“Find Jake,” Alvin said.
Nose to the ground, Smudge began to sniff, trying to pick up the homeless man’s trail. Only a few minutes into her search, her head popped up, and her tiny tail stuck out straight, at attention. She had found his scent. She made an abrupt turn down a small alleyway and zigzagged her way to the end where Jake was slumped back against a garbage can. He didn’t look well and both the pup and the sheriff could immediately tell that he needed help.
The sheriff quickly picked up his walkie talkie, and it crackled to life. “This is Sheriff Hennessey speaking. I need immediate medical assistance. Please send an ambulance to the back alley at Main Street and Green, behind the barbershop. We have a homeless man that requires assistance.”
Rushing over to Jake, he took his pulse which was weak. The man’s skin was pale and pasty and his breathing was labored. “It’s going to be ok, Jake, help is on its way.” Alvin comforted him while he waited for the sound of sirens.
Fluttering his eyes open, Jake looked up at him, aware of his presence for the first time. He reached his arm up and started to speak. “I was there. The blood. Oh, God, so much blood!” And with that, he let out a shudder and lost consciousness again.
With nothing to do but wait for help, Alvin played the man’s words over and over in his head, wondering what he could have meant. Did he see the bloody murder that took place yesterday? Was he wracked with guilt at being the one who committed it? Or was this another one of his flashbacks?
Chapter One Hundred Fifteen
After sending Jake off to the hospital, Smudge and Alvin hopped back in their cruiser and made their way over to Joe Reuben’s house. The gym teacher lived on a small, suburban street with nicely manicured lawns and pretty gardens. His house was a well-cared for little bungalow with landscaping to match his neighbors. Joe was quick to answer the door and invite the sheriff and pup inside. He was dressed in his usual uniform; a grey and black matching tracksuit.
“Please, Sheriff. Come inside. What can I do for you today?”
“Well, Joe, as I’m sure you’ve heard, Alexander Swan has been murdered. I’m trying to find out as much as I can about the incident so that we can put the right person in jail for the crime.”
Joe’s reply was quick. “I know absolutely nothing about the murder, Sheriff. I hope you don’t suspect that I was involved?”
“Well, we did receive some information that you and Dorinda had called it off and that you had been spending quite a bit of your free time with Drusilla Swan as of late. Is that correct?” Alvin questioned.
“Well, honestly, Sheriff,” Joe leaned in, grinning. “Any man with a beating heart would prefer Drusilla to Dorinda, don’t ya think?” He winked and it took all of Alvin’s willpower to hold back and not punch the man square in the face. That was all the information he needed right now, and he felt it was best to leave before his anger got the best of him.
“Thank you, Joe.” He responded curtly, then turning to Smudge, he said, “Come on, girl, let's get out of here.” The pair turned to leave but Smudge stopped, her ears perked up. She had obviously caught wind of something.
“What is it?” Alvin kneeled down, watching the little dog intently as her nose wiggled back and forth. She looked at Alvin then took off in a frenzy sniffing out every corner of the room before stopping at an old and battered gym bag that had been tossed in the corner. Alvin quickly followed her and reaching inside the bag, pulled out a cream-colored cell phone with blue roses on it. He swiftly turned to Joe. “How did you get this?” his voice was firm and demanding.
“It’s mine. I bought it,” Joe stammered. “And anyway, you have no right to go through my belongings. You don’t have a search warrant, do you?”
“This is Leslie Mather’s phone. I'd recognize it anywhere. It doesn’t belong to you. Joe Reuben, you are under arrest for possession of stolen property.”
Joe jumped forward, trying to grab the phone out of the sheriff’s hands, but Smudge was too quick for him. Lunging forward, she latched on to his ankle and bit as hard as she could, sending the man tumbling to the ground.
“Good work, Smudge!” Alvin congratulated her as he snapped a pair of handcuffs on the gym teacher’s wrists and hoisted him to his feet.
Chapter One Hundred Sixteen
With Joe Reuben in the interrogation room with some of his detectives, Al decided to make a quick trip back to the holding cells, to pay Melody a visit. He could see her sitting quietly on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees. She looked sad and consumed by her own thoughts. Alvin couldn't imagine how she must be feeling at this moment. Locked away and accused of murdering her competition, the poor girl must be under so much stress.
He startled her as he approached, causing her to jump.
"Sorry, Mel, I didn't mean to scare you." Alvin’s smile was apologetic.
"No, Al! It was my fault, I wasn't paying any attention. I was lost in my own little world. It's a good thing you brought me out of it as it was quite depressing. So, is there any news yet?" Her voice was hopeful, and her eyes pleading. Alvin could easily see that her time in there was wearing on her.
"Well, we did find Leslie's missing cell phone in a rather unusual place. Smudge and I paid a visit to Joe, and Smudge used her good nose to sniff the phone out of the gym teacher’s knapsack." Joe recounted the pup's good detective skills.
"I wonder why on earth Joe would have Leslie's phone. That seems rather strange, doesn't it?" Melody was having a hard time trying to connect the dots.
"It does seem unusual. I have my detectives working on Joe right now. Hopefully, he will be able to give them an answer to that question. In the meantime, I'll return Leslie's phone to her."
"Wait! I have an idea. I think it might be worth it if you check the videos on the phone. Leslie had been recording a lot around the bakery lately and sending Kerry updates while she's away. I know she had the camera recording while I was trying out some of my new recipes on the day of the murder. Maybe there will be some clues as to what happened to me and to who planted Alexander's blood on my hands!" She was excited at the prospect of finally finding some answers to all the questions that were swimming in her head.
"That is a fantastic idea!" Alvin reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone. To everyone's dismay, however, it wouldn't turn on. "Shoot!" Alvin cursed. "The battery must be dead. I'm going to go plug it into the charger in my office." He ran excited
ly down the hall, returning just a few moments later. "It should only take a few hours to get it fully charged."
"Perfect! Hopefully, it will shed some more light on the situation. Are there any other updates?" Melody inquired.
"Well, so far, there are four suspects; you, Drusilla, Joe, and Jake. Other than that, we are still looking for evidence."
"Honestly, Alvin, I really think that you can scratch Jake off the list. I know that a homeless guy seems like an easy suspect but I just don't believe it was him."
"Don't get me wrong, I like Jake too, but I was with him this afternoon, and he saw the blood. He knows something. We will just have to wait to find out what it is." He explained the state he found Jake in earlier that day.
"The poor man has it hard enough." Melody sighed and shook her head. "He doesn't deserve all this."
Just then, one of the officers came down the hall. "Sheriff, I have a message from the Port Warren General Hospital. They said that Jake is awake now and is asking to speak with you. It sounded urgent.”
Chapter One Hundred Seventeen
Some hours later, Alvin arrived back at the station. His talk with Jake had gone extremely well, and he was ready to finally put this case to rest. Walking swiftly to Melody's cell, he unlocked the door. Surprised, Melody jumped to her feet.
"Am I free!" she asked.
"I'll explain everything in just a few minutes." Alvin winked.
Smudge, who had been standing guard outside of Melody's cell, rushed inside to greet her friend. Melody scooped her up and kissed her little wet nose. “It feels wonderful to hold you again!” she murmured into Smudges wrinkled, little neck and closed her eyes.
“Melody, we will have lots of time for hugs and kisses in just a short time, but for now, I need you to follow me to the interrogation room. We still have some work to do!” Alvin set off down the corridor, twisting and turning past entranceways and adjacent hallways until he finally stopped outside of a large double door. Melody and Smudge were close behind him. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his hat and brushed off the front of his uniform. He then turned to Melody. “Go on in, take a seat and get ready for what I hope is going to be a very good show!” He winked in response to her confused expression and opened the door wide.
Stepping inside, Melody was surprised to find that the room was already almost completely full. Joe Reuben slouched in one corner, dressed in sweats and looking somewhat uncomfortable. To his right was Dorinda. She sat up tall and proper and smiled broadly at Melody when she entered the room. To the other side of him sat a perturbed looking Drusilla, who scowled around the room and tapped her fingers impatiently on the table. Dorinda motioned for Melody to take the empty seat beside her, which she did. Just then, in a whirlwind, Leslie arrived.
“Sorry I’m late, everyone!” she said, blowing her disheveled hair out of her eyes. She plopped down beside Melody and gave her a big grin.
The sheriff closed the door behind him, and, clearing his throat, he addressed the room. “It appears that we are all present now, so let's begin.”
Drusilla immediately stood up. “Listen here, Sheriff. I am tired of being harassed by you. I don’t know why you dragged me down here but it had better be good.” She angrily waved her fist at him.
“I do believe that it will be very good, Drusilla. Now, please have a seat.” Alvin’s words were polite, but his voice was firm and commanding.
Drusilla slowly sat down in her chair.
Alvin paused as if savoring the moment. “Thank you, everyone, for taking the time out of your day to come down here. As you all know, Alexander Swan was found murdered. His bloodied body was disposed of in the dumpster behind the Decadently Delicious bakeshop and his blood was smeared all over Melody’s hands after she was knocked unconscious in her bakery kitchen. I have asked you all to come here today to inform you that we now know who the murderer is and that they are sitting amongst you in this room.”
Once more, he paused, and the hush in the room was palpable.
“It is my belief that, if you are the killer, that it is in your best interest to stand up now and admit your guilt.”
The room remained quiet as everyone looked from one person to the other.
“As I just mentioned, we have irrefutable proof of who murdered Mr. Swan. We actually have two vital pieces of evidence that both point to the same guilty party. It will look much better for you at your trial if you make your confession now.”
The room was quiet and tense. Joe was the only person moving. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, staring at the ground. Finally, he sat up straight and looked the sheriff in the eye. “It was me!” he cried out. “I took Alexander Swan’s life.” He threw his head into his hands and began sobbing.
Everyone in the room looked at him in shock, except Drusilla, who sat with a smug smile on her face.
Alvin nodded his approval. “Thank you for your honesty, Joe. It will be a great benefit to you when it comes time for a jury to decide your sentencing. If there is anything else that you would like to add, now would be the time to do it.”
Joe gave a loud sniffle and peered at Drusilla out of the corner of his eye. “Yes, there’s more. None of this was my idea. I didn’t want the man dead. It was all her!” He pointed a finger at Drusilla, who looked shocked that he would give away her secret. “She was the one who wanted Alexander dead and Melody framed for the murder, and she pressured me into doing it. I dumped his body in the dumpster and went into Decadently Delicious to plant the evidence that would hopefully get Melody convicted. While I was there, I snatched the phone that was on the counter because it was still recording.” Joe hung his head in shame.
Alvin nodded. Everything that the gym teacher was saying was lining up perfectly with all of the clues that he had found. “I know, Joe. The video on Leslie’s phone clearly shows you, in the bakery, knocking Melody out cold and planting the blood on her hands. Jake, the homeless man, was in the alleyway when you disposed of the dead body and witnessed you dump it into the garbage. With so many clumsy errors, there was no way that you would have ever gotten away with this murder. I do have one question though, why did you have to go to such lengths to try and pin it on Melody? Wouldn’t the body behind her bakery have been enough to make people question her involvement?”
Joe shrugged his shoulders. “It was all part of Drusilla’s original plan. She knew that you would do everything in your power to prove her innocence, and in her mind, the evidence pointing to Melody needed to be irrefutable.”
Melody took a sigh of relief as the rest of the forensic evidence was laid out before them. She could now finally connect every dot. Standing, she confronted Drusilla. “So, it had always been your plan to have your husband murdered, and to do so, you needed to get me to unknowingly play along. It all started at the business fair when you upset Ernest and caused me to get angered, in front of the entire town, as well.”
“Nonsense!” Drusilla shook her head. “I don’t need to set you up for murder in order to be able to better you in the business realm.” She let out a wicked laugh.
Melody ignored Drusilla’s words and continued on. “With Alexander suddenly missing, the entire town would begin to wonder, and I’m sure that many people would be looking at you as the suspect. In order to keep your business successful, you needed to make me the villain.”
Melody’s words had hit home, and it was evident that Drusilla was beginning to wilt under the pressure. She began to lash out at Joe. “This is all your fault! We wouldn’t be here if you had just done your job properly. I knew I should have hired a professional!” Her words were cut short by Alvin, who clapped his hands loudly and brought the entire room to attention.
“That’s enough!” His voice was stern. “Drusilla Swan, Joe Reuben, you are both under arrest for the murder of Alexander Swan.” Snapping his fingers, he called in his deputies, who proceeded to cuff the pair and read them their rights.
Once they were removed from the room, the mood light
ened considerably. Melody ran to Alvin and gave him a big hug, and Smudge yipped and wiggled at the good news. “I told you I’d find a way to clear your name.” He kissed her as he spoke.
“I just hope that the townspeople will still look at me the same way as before after this scandal. In a small town like this one, it doesn’t take much to turn people’s minds around about something.”
“One day at a time, Mel. We’ve got you out of jail, and you’re completely cleared of murder. That’s gotta count for something. Plus, you don’t have any competition anymore. Even if people are still unsure of you, they don’t have another bakery to choose from!” He nudged her, trying to make her laugh at the joke but she just rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
“I’m also worried about Jake. He’s been through so much in the past, and then to have to be dragged through all of this as well? He deserves a break.” Melody felt terrible for the poor homeless man.
“Actually, I almost forgot!” Alvin’s voice grew excited. “Something has come up for good ‘ol Jake! We have managed to find him an opening at a Veteran’s housing facility, and he has a part-time job working in a rehabilitation center. He’s very happy about it all and says that it feels like his luck is finally turning around!”
Melody agreed. “It looks like everything is finally working out for all of us.”
Chapter One Hundred Eighteen
The drive to the Veteran’s housing facility only took fifteen minutes. It was located just outside of Port Warren in the beautiful countryside that surrounded the town. It was the perfect spot for some rest and relaxation, and Melody was so pleased to see that it would provide exactly what Jake needed to heal and get back up on his feet again. Pulling into the long drive, Melody spotted Jake waiting for her on a park bench near the entrance. Parking her car, she and Smudge ran to him.
