Pie Peril and a Peculiar Murder Read online

  Pie, Peril, and a Peculiar Murder

  Meredith Potts

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  If Jessica Carlson wasn't careful, she could be in some serious danger. The sort of trouble that could cost her dearly. That was why she had to tread carefully. Otherwise, she might make a fatal mistake.

  Then again, she was well-aware of the potential pitfalls of this assignment going in. Being a police officer was an inherently risky job.

  Jessica wasn’t the kind of woman who backed down from a challenge, though. She didn’t let fear drive her life. In fact, she actually volunteered to take part in this drug bust. But as the time came to set the plan in motion, her resolve was tested.

  Before she walked over to the meetup point in Thurgood Park, Jessica went over the plan again in her head. It seemed simple enough. She had been fitted with a wire to record the conversation that was about to take place. The police department had also provided her with a hundred dollars to buy a number of hits of meth.

  She was going to meet up with Paulie O’Toole in a dimly lit section of the park. Once she handed over the money in exchange for the drugs, several police officers were going to swarm in and arrest Paulie.

  If everything went according to plan, Paulie would be apprehended without anyone getting hurt. That said, during the two months that Jessica had been a part of the police force, she had learned that it was rare for things to go exactly as expected. Criminals were wildly unpredictable. There was no way to know for certain what they would do when their backs were against the wall. Some turned violent. Others tried to flee the scene. Right then, Jessica was hoping that Paulie would be the third type of criminal. The kind that surrendered without a fight.

  She would get an answer soon enough. It was time to set the plan in motion. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, Jessica was dressed in plain clothes. She wore a pair of jeans and a hoodie. She also hadn’t put on any makeup.

  On the flip side, in case things happened to turn south in a hurry, she did have her badge and her police pistol on her.

  With the wire in place, Jessica got out of an unmarked van that was parked at the edge of the park. She then walked over to the meetup point. As she approached an oak tree on the northern end of the park, she looked around for any sign of Paulie. Unfortunately, she didn’t see him. Was he not going to show up? Did he have suspicions about Jessica that had scared him off?

  Jessica stopped in front of the oak tree and said a quick prayer that Paulie would show up. A few seconds later, she spotted the skinny, square-faced, twenty-nine-year-old out of the corner of her eye. Paulie was wearing a track suit and a pair of running shoes. He walked with an unmistakable amount of swagger.

  His cool demeanor didn’t fool Jessica, however. Especially since his blue eyes told a different story. He kept looking left and then right, clearly trying to do a visual sweep of the area. The drug dealer was on the lookout for trouble. Little did he realize that he was walking directly into a trap.

  Once Paulie reached Jessica, he got straight down to business.

  “Do you have the cash?” he asked.

  Jessica nodded. “Do you have the meth?”

  Paulie reached into his pocket and flashed a number of small baggies. “Five hits. Just like you wanted.”

  Jessica pulled the cash out of her pocket and handed it to Paulie.

  He then held out the small bags of meth, which she took and stuffed into the pocket of her hoodie.

  A second later, Paulie began walking away.

  He wasn’t going to get very far, though. With the drug deal completed, Jessica’s fellow officers had everything they needed to bust Paulie.

  Half a dozen cops barreled toward Paulie with their guns drawn.

  At that point, Paulie was faced with the moment of truth. Would he try to flee the scene and evade capture? Was he packing heat as well? If so, would he attempt to fire at the officers? Or would he surrender peacefully?

  Jessica’s father, Detective David Carlson, led the charge against Paulie. With his gun drawn, David barked an order at the drug dealer.

  “Put your hands up,” David said.

  Paulie didn’t comply. Instead, he lifted his hoodie up slightly and reached for the waistband of his pants. Before Paulie was able to grab his gun, David shouted at the perpetrator again.

  “Stop right there,” David said. “Don’t make me shoot you.”

  Paulie froze for a second as he stared at the barrel of David’s gun. By that point, five other police officers had surrounded the drug dealer.

  “This is your final warning. Put your hands up,” David said.

  Paulie gritted his teeth and then followed David’s orders. When Paulie threw his hands into the air, David rushed toward the drug dealer and handcuffed him.

  From there, one of the other police officers dragged Paulie over to a squad car and loaded the perpetrator into the backseat.

  ***

  With Paulie safely apprehended, David turned his attention to Jessica.

  The detective put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Good job.”

  “The same goes for you,” she said.

  “It was definitely a successful group effort,” David said. “Most importantly, no one got hurt.”

  “True. Although, things got dicey there for a second,” she said.

  “They sure did. I was worried that Paulie wasn’t going to back down.”

  “Wait. After being on the police force for over thirty years, you still get worried?”

  “Of course, I do. The minute you get complacent is the minute you need to hang up your badge. You can never be too careful. Especially since your life can be in jeopardy at a moment’s notice,” David said. “Do you know what I’m saying?”

  “Don’t worry about me—”

  “Jess, let me tell you something. As your father, I’m always going to be worried about you.”

  “Fair enough,” she said. “Anyway, I’m glad this bust went off without a hitch.”

  “So am I. Although, you know just as well as I do that arresting Paulie is just the tip of the iceberg.” David stared off into the distance. “I have my sights set on a much bigger target.”

  “You mean, Eric Hobart?” Jessica replied.

  David nodded. “Exactly. The question is, will Paulie cough up some useful information on his boss?”

  “I can’t wait to find out,” Jessica said.

  Chapter Two

  After hauling Paulie back to the police station, David sat the drug dealer down in one of the interrogation rooms.

  The detective then went to work. If things went according to plan, David would get Paulie to spill his guts. As satisfying as it was to get one drug dealer off the streets, there were many more still out there. Rather than trying to bust them one by one, David had a bigger prize in mind. But first, David had to get Paulie to open up to him.

  “Where did you get the drugs from?” David asked.

  Paulie sat back in his chair a
nd scowled. “I’m not telling you anything.”

  “We’ll see about that,” David said. “It was Eric Hobart, wasn’t it?”

  Paulie didn’t say a word.

  David waited a second before speaking up again. “I asked you a question, Paulie. And I expect you to answer it.”

  Paulie shrugged. “Why should I talk to you?”

  “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll tell me everything I want to know.”

  “Nice try, but you’re not getting anything out of me.”

  David clenched his hands into fists. “Wrong answer.”

  Paulie didn’t even break a sweat. “Detective, I know what you’re trying to do, and you aren’t going to intimidate me.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “Do your worst.”

  “You don’t get it, do you?” David asked. “I’m not what you should be afraid of right now.”

  Paulie looked at the door. “Are you going to bring in someone else in this room to try and rattle me?”

  David shook his head. “No. I’m just going to remind you just how bleak your future is. With all the evidence that we have on you, you’re looking at some serious jail time. The only question now is, how many years are you going to be behind bars?”

  “Detective, I know that I’m going to jail. Which is exactly why I’m not telling you anything.”

  “You’re a fool.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not stupid. And I don’t have a death wish,” Paulie said. “Do you have any idea what happens to snitches in prison?”

  “It depends on what prison you’re talking about.”

  “All prisons are the same.”

  David shook his head. “That isn’t true.”

  Paulie’s forehead wrinkled. “What are you talking about?”

  “If you tell me what I want to know, certain arrangements can be made. You don’t necessarily have to serve your sentence at Treasure Cove Penitentiary. Depending on the information you provide me with, you could be transferred to a minimum security prison on the other side of the state.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes.”

  “What makes you think someone couldn’t get to me there?”

  “Like I said before, arrangements can be made. That includes ensuring your safety.”

  “What other arrangements are we talking about?”

  “If the information is particularly useful, there is the potential that you could get a reduced sentence.”

  “What kind of information are you looking for exactly?”

  “I want to know everything about your boss. Enough to take him down once and for all,” David said.

  “Do you really expect me to rat him out?”

  David nodded. “If you know what’s good for you.”

  Paulie snickered. “It’s safe to say that you and I have a much different idea of what’s good for me.”

  “Like I told you before, I already have all the evidence that I need to put you away for a long time. The way I see it, cutting a deal with me is the best shot you have right now. Do you really want to pass up this opportunity?”

  Paulie’s nose scrunched. He then replied, “I already told you earlier, I’m no snitch.”

  David stared him down. My husband then got up from his chair and walked toward the door. Before leaving the room, David made one last remark to Paulie.

  “Let’s see if your mind changes after you’ve spent a night in jail.”

  Chapter Three

  Despite David’s frustrations about Paulie refusing to cut a deal, my husband was relieved that the drug bust had gone off without a hitch. Meanwhile, I had a much different reaction to the news. In fact, I was in a state of disbelief that our daughter had been involved in the operation in the first place.

  I threw out my arms as I stood in the middle of our living room. “You let our daughter be the bait in a drug bust?”

  David put his hand up. “Don’t yell at me until you know all of the facts.”

  “How could I not yell at you right now?” I replied. “When you were setting up that bust, you didn’t mention a word to me about our daughter being involved.”

  “That’s because she wasn’t. At least, not at first.”

  “When did she become involved then?”

  “When she walked into the police chief’s office and volunteered for the operation.”

  I exhaled. “She really did that?”

  David reluctantly nodded. “She’s bolder than either of us realized.”

  “I still think you should have tried to stop her.”

  “Don’t you think I warned her about the dangers of volunteering for an assignment like this? But it turns out no matter what I said, she wouldn’t be dissuaded.”

  “In that case, you could have talked to the chief yourself. Maybe then you could have convinced him to pull Jessica from this bust.”

  “Sabrina, our daughter isn’t a little kid. She’s a grown woman who can make her own decisions.”

  “I know she’s technically an adult, but nineteen-year-olds aren’t exactly known for making the best decisions.”

  “Honey, just because you don’t like the decision she made doesn’t mean it was a bad call. She’s a police officer now. Bravery is just part of the job description. As a deputy, she stares down danger every single day.”

  “I understand that, but she’s also just a rookie. At this stage in her career, I figured she’d spend most of her days giving out speeding tickets. Not helping to spearhead a drug bust.”

  “Trust me. This was a shock to me too. I wasn’t terribly happy about it either. At the same time, we can’t tell her how to live her life anymore.”

  “Sure we can.”

  “Okay. She doesn’t have to listen, though. Or she’ll just decide to ignore our advice,” he said. “The fact is, she is a very stubborn woman.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Honestly, neither of us should be surprised to find that out. It turns out that being stubborn is a trait that runs in our family.”

  “Are you implying that she got that trait from me?” I asked.

  “I’m not implying,” he said. “I know she got it from you.”

  I grimaced. “I can’t disagree with that. At the same time, it’s hard to just watch our daughter stare down danger.”

  “It certainly isn’t easy.”

  “David, now isn’t the time for understatement. I’m practically tearing my hair out here.”

  “I know you don’t want to hear it, but we’re going to have to find a way to get used to this,” he said. “Because guess what? I can practically guarantee that this won’t be the last time our daughter makes a bold decision like this.”

  I exhaled. “I’m sure you’re right. It’s just going to take a while to get used to.”

  David then leaned in and gave me a big hug.

  Chapter Four

  In the morning, I was still rattled by Jessica’s decision to volunteer for the drug bust. Clearly, it was going to take a while longer to adjust to this new reality. While I could have easily spent all of my time and energy focused on that, I knew that wouldn’t be productive.

  Rather than letting my head drift even deeper into the clouds, I got out of bed and decided to do something useful with my time.

  After throwing on some clothes, David and I headed over to my family’s coffee shop.

  The drive over to Daley Buzz was a scenic one. Then again, in Treasure Cove, picturesque views were quite common. That was one of the things that made living here so magical.

  My hometown had a little over thirty-thousand full-time residents. During tourist season, the population doubled. The main draw was the beach. Of course, our cute little downtown also attracted a fair amount of attention.

  Since it was October, most of the tourists were long gone. It was locals only. And that wasn’t such a bad thing. For example, traffic was non-existent. In addition, I could tackle life at a more leisurely pac
e.

  If I lived in a big city like San Francisco, a drug bust wouldn’t be all that remarkable. It certainly wouldn’t make the front page of the newspaper. In Treasure Cove, an arrest like Paulie’s was the talk of the town. And let me tell you, in my hometown, news traveled fast.

  That day was no different. The moment my husband and I set foot inside Daley Buzz, we could hear everyone talking about the drug bust. After ordering some drinks, we took a seat at a table alongside a number of our family members.

  That included my trim, long-haired worrywart of a mother, Elizabeth. Sitting beside her was my balding, pear-shaped stepfather, Luke. Beside him was my daughter.

  Jessica was full of energy as she described what had taken place last night. She was clearly very proud of her actions during the bust.

  Meanwhile, it was safe to say that my mother had a much different reaction to the news. In fact, Elizabeth looked incredibly disturbed as she finished listening to Jessica talk.

  “That is horrifying,” Elizabeth said.

  After hearing my mother’s reaction, I didn’t hesitate to speak up.

  “I’m glad someone agrees with me,” I said. “It shakes me to my core to think that Jessica was right there on the front lines.”

  Elizabeth held her hand up. “Don’t get me wrong. That part is disturbing too. But to me, the most horrifying part of this situation is that drugs are just being sold openly in one of our public parks.”

  “Honestly, it’s pretty troubling that meth is being sold anywhere,” I said.

  “Of course. But it’s one thing for a drug deal to take place in secret. At least then it’s behind closed doors,” Elizabeth said. “To do it right out in the open, that’s incredibly bold.”

  Jessica spoke up. “I couldn’t agree more. Paulie’s actions were really brazen. Which makes me wonder, what is going on with our town?”

  Elizabeth grimaced. “I’d be careful asking a question like that. I don’t think you’re going to like the answer.”

  Jessica lowered her head. “I suppose you’re right.”

  Elizabeth stared out into the distance. “Looking back, it’s pretty amazing to think about how much this town has changed throughout the years.”