The Bakers and Bulldogs Mysteries Collection: 20 Book Box Set

by Rosie Sams

  Alvin’s cruiser was parked just outside, and he opened the passenger door for his two ladies. They hopped in as he made his way to the driver’s side and, switching on the lights and siren, the trio sped through the streets of Port Warren to the site of its most recent crime scene; The Harrington Mansion.

  Chapter One Hundred Forty

  The mansion was one of Port Warren’s most stately homes. It was built on a large corner lot with a wrought iron fence that enclosed the perfectly manicured lawn and award-winning gardens within.

  The home was of Victorian architecture with a large veranda that spanned from one side to the other. The street it was located on was usually peaceful and quiet, but tonight was a completely different scene. Outside the mansion was complete chaos. There were numerous cop cars pulled up out front and an ambulance waiting patiently in the driveway. Sirens were blaring and there were lights flashing and deputies were running back and forth, yelling directions at one another. It wasn’t often that one of the town’s richest and most prestigious women was found murdered in her own home. As the couple and their dog walked up the long front drive, Alvin stopped to get an update from one of the policemen on the scene.

  "It's pretty bad in there, sir." He gestured towards Melody. "I'm not sure if you want to bring your lady inside."

  "I’ll be just fine," Melody replied firmly. She had seen her fair share of crime scenes before, one more couldn't possibly do any more damage.

  "Do we have anyone under arrest?" Alvin questioned the cop. He shook his head in reply. "Any suspects?" Again, he shook his head.

  "Nothing yet, sir. We've been waiting on you for a game plan." The young policeman looked lost and was eagerly waiting for any type of direction from the sheriff.

  "All right." Alvin nodded. "Let me go in and take a look, and I'll see what I can figure out. Hopefully, this will be a nice easy case. For now, why don't you start knocking on the neighbor's doors? See if anyone heard anything or saw anything suspicious."

  The deputy happily got to work, pleased to have been given an important job and one that was away from the dead body and all of the blood inside.

  Melody and Alvin climbed the stone staircase leading to the front door of the mansion. Walking inside, the first thing they saw was the dead body of Olive Harrington. She was lying face down, in the foyer, with a significant amount of blood oozing out of a large gash on her head. It trickled down the side of her face and soaked into the expensive Persian rug underneath her. Beside her twisted body was the shattered remnants of the stained glass lamp, the most famous item from the rummage sale earlier that day. It was obvious that this was the object that had been used to bludgeon her to death. There were also important looking printed documents that were scattered on the floor not far from where Olive lay.

  Alvin quickly pulled out a pair of latex gloves from his uniform pockets and got to work collecting and bagging evidence before it became contaminated. Another deputy had come in and was snapping pictures of the scene.

  Melody watched, still unable to believe that Olive Harrington was dead, but the proof was only a few feet in front of her. Smudge sat soberly at Melody's feet, having been to enough crime scenes to know what was going on. Her nose, however, was working overtime in an attempt to pick up any unusual scents that may help lead to a clue. Suddenly, she began to growl. It started low at first, then she became louder. She stood up, her ears pricked to attention and her tiny tail pointing straight out. There was definitely a strange smell about, and Smudge didn't like it one bit.

  "What is it, girl?" Melody looked down at the dog then scanned the room for the source of Smudge’s concern.

  Smudge tugged at the leash.

  "Heel, girl, heel."

  But Smudge was beyond listening at this point. She kept pulling on her lead and growling. Then, from out of the shadows came Taffy, Olive's rescued cat. The cat cautiously approached her mistress' lifeless form. She nudged her, trying to get her to move, but it was of no use. Taffy sat beside her and looked up at Melody sadly. It seemed as though she understood what was going on. Melody could see the sorrow in her eyes. Sympathetic, the girl picked up the cat and began to stroke her. At the same time, Smudge sat and began to whine.

  "All right, Smudge, that’s enough."

  The dog hated seeing her owner giving attention to another animal, especially a cat. She rolled over on her back in the hopes of getting a belly rub. Melody ignored the dog and proceeded to carry the cat into another room where she wouldn't have to see her mistress dead on the floor.

  "Don't worry," she cooed to the cat, scratching her furry little head as she did. "You will find another good home soon. I'll make sure of it." She set the cat down and then shut her in the room. Turning, she saw Brenda, Olive's assistant, enter frantically through the front door.

  "My God!" Brenda wailed. "What's going on here?" Seeing Mrs. Harrington’s dead body on the floor had her staggering back against the wall for support.

  Alvin stood and went to her, taking her by the arm and leading her away from the brutal crime scene and into the kitchen. Melody and Smudge followed closely behind.

  "Here, sit." He spoke gently to the shaking woman and pulled out a chair for her. Going to the sink, he filled a glass with water and handed it to her.

  Brenda spilled a few drops as she tried to take a sip.

  Alvin stood in front of her and waited for her to look up. “Brenda, as you saw, someone murdered Mrs. Harrington this afternoon. It appears as though someone used a glass lamp to beat Olive to death. I'm so sorry to tell you this, it must be such a terrible shock for you."

  Brenda was white as a corpse herself, but she nodded.

  "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” Alvin continued gently. “It will help us to figure out who could have committed this terrible crime."

  Brenda nodded again, and the sheriff took out his notebook, pen poised to begin taking notes.

  "To begin with, Brenda, can you tell me where you were this afternoon?"

  Brenda swallowed hard, trying to find her voice. "W…w… well, we packed up from the rummage sale early and came back here, and then Olive sent me to fetch some Chinese food for dinner. That's where I'm coming back from now."

  Alvin looked at the woman. Her hands were empty and had been since she had walked through the front door. "Where is the food, Brenda?" he questioned her gently.

  "Oh, I don't have it," she replied quickly. "The restaurant had lost the order, and it was Olive who had called ahead to place it. I didn't know what she wanted so I thought I would come home and check before running back… but now it's too late. Now she's gone." Brenda stared blankly ahead of her, her face pale.

  "Have you noticed anyone unusual hanging around the mansion today? Any cars parked outside or anyone suspicious walking by?" Alvin asked his questions carefully. He didn't want to traumatize the woman any further.

  She sat in thought for a moment, racking her brain. "No, there was no one around. I didn't see anything strange at all. This street is usually pretty quiet.” She sat thinking for a few more minutes then sat up straight. “Mrs. Harrington did receive a phone call this afternoon, though. It was from her cousin, Vanessa. I couldn't hear what Vanessa was saying, but her voice was loud and sounded upset. She got Mrs. Harrington worked up enough that she slammed the receiver down. I’m sure it was probably a continuation of the argument from the rummage sale."

  Alvin looked at Melody. "I'm just going to go and make a quick call back to the station to see if I can have that phone call traced."

  Melody nodded, he knew she would stay there and console Brenda while keeping her away from any evidence.

  Alvin took note of Brenda's story and excused himself from the kitchen.

  Melody knew he would also be checking on Brenda’s alibi, while she sat and tried to console the poor woman who was still white as a ghost and shaking.

  "Try taking another sip of water, Brenda. It will help calm your nerves." Melody thought back to how she had felt
seeing her first crime scene and knew exactly what Brenda must be feeling. Not to mention the fact that this was her long-time employer, and although she may not have been the nicest, Melody was sure there must have been some connection between them in order for Brenda to have stayed employed for as long as she had.

  A few moments later, Alvin returned and sat back down, facing the two ladies. "Well, they managed to trace the call back to the Portside Hotel. I think it would be a good idea if you came with Melody and me, Brenda. You won't be able to stay here tonight and the Police Station will put you up in a room of your own."

  Brenda agreed. "I'll go pack an overnight bag."

  Alvin accompanied her upstairs and helped her gather some things together and put them in a little duffle. When they came back down, Melody was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with Taffy purring contentedly in her arms and Smudge scowling up at her.

  "Brenda, would you like to take Taffy with you? She would be excellent company, especially after a night like tonight." Melody held out the cat as Brenda approached. Brenda was quick to decline though. She put up her hands and shaking her head, she spoke firmly.

  "That cat and I never really got along. There is no love between us. I only really pretended that I was fond of the creature for Mrs. Harrington's sake."

  Looking at Smudge, Melody shrugged. "I guess we have no choice, for now, girl. Taffy will have to come home with us." The cat seemed to love the idea, and her purring got even louder but Smudge wasn't happy about it at all. She sighed loudly and dragged her feet in protest as they walked out the front door of the mansion and headed out to the Portside Hotel.

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-One

  The Portside Hotel was one of the best hotels in all of Port Warren. It was located right on the waterfront and had spectacular views of the ocean. It was where all of the high-end tourists stayed in the summer and was definitely the lodging of choice for anyone of notability who visited the town.

  Alvin parked the police car and opened the doors for all of the ladies inside. The group walked into the grand entrance of the hotel and was struck by the beauty and glamour of the place. Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling and beautiful, ornate carpets sprawled out in front of them. Being residents of the town, none of them had ever had the need to go in there before.

  Alvin walked ahead and checked Brenda in at the reception desk. They took the elevator up to the eighth floor and unlocked the door to her room. She was still a bit unsteady on her feet, shaken up from the day’s events, so Melody and Alvin made sure that she was comfortable and settled in before leaving.

  “If you need anything at all, Brenda, please don’t hesitate to call me. You have my number,” Melody called out to her.

  “And if you remember any other unusual details about the day, please make sure you contact me right away.” Alvin was always the cop, he took his job very seriously.

  “Poor woman,” Melody said, looking up at Alvin as they stepped inside the elevator. “She must be feeling terrible right now. I feel awful about leaving her alone.” They rode the elevator up to the tenth floor, where Vanessa was staying, in silence. Both of them were deep in thought about what had happened to Olive Harrington and wondering what information and alibi Vanessa would be able to provide.

  Vanessa answered the knock on her door immediately and was surprised to see Alvin, Melody, Smudge, and Taffy all standing outside her door. “Good evening, Vanessa, I’m Sheriff Hennessey, and this is Melody. I’m sure you remember us from the rummage sale this afternoon?” Vanessa nodded.

  “Yes, of course. Please, would you like to come in?” She opened the door wide for the group to pass through.

  “Vanessa, I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid that I have some bad news.”

  Vanessa waited in silence for the sheriff to continue.

  “This afternoon, there was a crime that took place at your cousin Olive’s house. It appears that there was some kind of confrontation, a struggle ensued, and Olive was beaten to death.”

  Vanessa’s face remained unchanged at the news. She didn’t even as much as blink, so Alvin continued, offering his condolences. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Vanessa.”

  “My loss?” The news of her cousin’s death seemed to finally have sunk in. “Olive dying isn’t a loss at all. She got everything that was coming to her, everything that she deserved. She was a wicked old woman, and the world will be a better place without her.” There was going to be no tears shed over the death of this woman by her cousin Vanessa that much seemed clear.

  Thinking of the conflict at the rummage sale earlier that day, Melody thought she would try her hand at some interrogating. “Vanessa, did you know that the murder weapon in this crime was the very stained glass lamp that you and your cousin fought over this afternoon? It was used to bludgeon her to death in her very own home. I don’t suppose that it could have been you that committed the crime, could it? Perhaps you felt the need to dole out some poetic justice, using the lamp that Olive wouldn’t let you have to teach her a lesson?”

  A look of horror crossed Vanessa’s face. “The lamp is ruined? Some monster used that beautiful, antique lamp as the murder weapon? Oh, my god, it’s gone for good now.” Vanessa was obviously much more upset about the loss of the lamp than she was about her own cousin’s death. Taking a moment to compose herself, she walked to an elegant chair and took a seat. “If I was going to do in that awful woman, the woman who stole the man that I was supposed to marry, I would have been sure to find another way to do it. One that wouldn’t have destroyed that precious lamp.”

  Melody looked at Alvin, who was jotting down this newfound information into his little notebook. He looked up at her when he was finished.

  “Perhaps you decided that using the lamp would be a good way to get rid of your cousin and to turn suspicion away from you? No one would suspect that you would purposely break the lamp that you hold so dear.”

  Vanessa jumped to her feet, her fists clenched, and her face turning bright red in anger. “How dare you barge in here and start accusing me of murdering my own cousin. You have no proof of such a thing. If you continue with this course of questioning, I will sue you.”

  Melody jumped in at this point. “Suing someone can be a very expensive course of action, you know. It would require a lot of money to take on the sheriff here.”

  “Well, with Olive gone, I’m sure that won’t be much of a problem. I’m the only surviving member of the Harrington family. I’m certain that all of Olive’s fortune will fall into my hands.”

  Alvin gave a sideways glance at Melody and continued to make notes. “Vanessa, I’m sorry to say that speaking like that is doing nothing to aid your cause. As it stands at the moment, you have just made yourself the number one suspect in this investigation. I will have to strongly advise you to stay in Port Warren until this whole matter is sorted out. The Port Warren police department will definitely be in touch again soon.”

  Vanessa crossed the room and opened the door, gesturing for them all to leave, which they promptly did. When they were alone in the elevator, Melody turned to Alvin. “What did you make of all that?” she asked. “That woman sure didn’t show any sign of being upset. Her only concern was for the lamp and for her inheritance.”

  Alvin shook his head. “You’re completely right, Mel. She didn’t make herself sound very good in there but you know how the law goes, “innocent until proven guilty.” We are going to need either a confession from her or some good solid proof. Our work on this case isn’t done yet.”

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-Two

  Melody woke up extremely tired the next morning. The night had been a long one, and she had spent most of it trying to keep the peace between Taffy and Smudge. Smudge was not happy about having the cat in her home and was making that fact well known. Melody finally fully understood the concept of “fighting like cats and dogs.” The two of them had been at each other all night, pouncing and growling and chasing each other around. Melody was
surprised that they were both still alive and that not a single thing in her entire house had been broken. Weary from the effort of dealing with the two creatures, she separated them and locked the pup in one bedroom and the cat in the other while she went to the kitchen to make herself a hearty breakfast. She definitely needed the energy.

  Alvin had dropped her off at home after the interrogation with Vanessa at the hotel the previous night and had spent the night himself at the police station, going over the evidence. Just as her coffee had finished brewing and she was savoring her very first sip, the phone rang and startled her out of her moment of enjoyment.

  “Good morning,” she spoke into the receiver, trying to sound more cheerful than she felt. The voice on the other end was Alvin’s, and it sounded even more tired than hers. “Oh, Al. You sound absolutely exhausted. I thought I had a rough night dealing with this cat and dog.”

  “Morning, Mel. It’s certainly been a long night. Everyone has been putting in overtime down at the station. You know what they say about the first forty-eight hours being the most important in an investigation. We’ve gathered all of the evidence, taken as many crime scene photos as possible and dusted for fingerprints. Unfortunately, there were no prints found on the broken glass from the lamp. We were really hoping to find something there.”

  “So, no new suspects, then?” Melody inquired.

  “Nope. Nothing.” Alvin sounded downhearted.

  “Don’t give up now, Al. You guys are all doing such a great job. I’m sure a new lead will come up soon.”

  “Hopefully, sooner rather than later,” Alvin replied.

  Making plans to meet up later, the couple said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Just then there was a knock at the front door. Checking the kitchen clock, Melody wondered who could possibly be paying her a visit at such an early hour. With the dog barking from her room, and the cat meowing from the other, Melody made her way to the door. Opening it up, she was surprised to see Peter Remington, from the Port Warren Animal Shelter, standing on her front porch.