Murder in Treasure Cove Read online

  “I probably should have phrased my response better. There isn’t any updates whatsoever.”

  “Well, I guess it’s good news that you don’t have any bad news to share with me.”

  “What an interesting reply.”

  “Yeah. That was a bit of a mouthful. An awkward mouthful, at that.”

  “Are you feeling all right?”

  “I’ll be fine. I’m just having a little trouble with my words this morning,” I said. “I’m sure once the caffeine from my latte kicks in, I’ll be fine.”

  “I sure hope so. We need to be at our best right now if we’re going to solve this case.”

  “Speaking of which, any ideas about what we should do now?”

  He scratched his chin. “That’s a good question.”

  “Do you happen to have an answer?”

  “We could always head back to the station.”

  “And do what? Pour over the case file again?”

  “Do you have a better idea?” he asked.

  I gritted my teeth.

  “I guess that’s a no,” he added.

  I grimaced. “All right. Let’s head over to the police station. Maybe there’s something in the case file that we’ve overlooked.”

  Chapter Four

  As I sat in a chair across from my husband’s desk, it quickly became clear that there was nothing in the case file that we had overlooked. At that point, I had to face the facts. We were stumped. I hated staring down a brick wall.

  I decided to go over the suspect list again in my head. First, there was Valerie Wellington, Jake’s estranged wife. Before the murder, Valerie and Jake were on their way to divorce court. A bitter separation made for a killer motive. But had Valerie committed the crime?

  Next on the list was Luke Wellington, Jake’s troubled son. Jake wanted his kid to become a doctor. Meanwhile, Luke wanted to quit school and chase after a record contract with his rock band. Jake threatened to cut his son off. Had Luke retaliated by committing murder?

  Third on the list was Walter O’Grady. Walter was one of Jake’s employees. At least, he used to be until he was fired recently. Apparently, Walter had been stealing from the company. When Jake found out the truth, he immediately axed Walter. Now, Walter was already a thief. But was he also a killer?

  Fourth on the list was Max Bolton. Max was Jake’s business partner at the gym that they owned. In recent months, a rival gym owner had offered to buy out Max and Jake. For Max, the decision was simple. He wanted to sell. To take the cash and run. Meanwhile, Jake wanted to turn down the offer. They had built their business from the ground up. Had the friction between the business partners led to murder?

  Finally, there was Kristin Boxer. She was an assistant manager at the gym. Kristin was also dating Max. As Max’s girlfriend, Kristin had a lot to gain from a possible sale of the gym. Had she confronted Jake and murdered him in cold blood?

  I didn’t have an answer to any of those questions. I did know this, though. None of the suspects had verifiable alibis for the time of the murder. Despite their claims of innocence, at least one of them was lying. But who?

  ***

  After spending the better part of the morning and the afternoon getting absolutely nowhere, a sense of desperation crept in. My husband and I needed to make some progress. And soon. The longer this case dragged on, the better the chances were that it would go cold.

  We didn’t need much. Just a little nugget of information to work with. Sometimes even a small lead was enough to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

  In my mind, it was time to start thinking outside of the box. To do something bold. One splashy move could be just what this investigation needed.

  While my mind was whirring, David was at a complete loss.

  He grunted and then got up from his desk chair. “Do you want something from the break room?”

  I was too deep in thought to respond.

  “Sabrina, did you hear me?” he continued.

  When he put his hand on my shoulder, I was pulled out of my daze.

  “Sorry. What did you say?” I replied.

  He stared deep into my eyes. “Are you all right?”

  “I was just thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “We need to do something—”

  “We’ve been trying all day.”

  “I think it’s time to take action.”

  “What kind of action?”

  “Let’s try to shake things up.”

  “How do you propose that we do that?”

  “You should give a TV interview.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “And say what?”

  “Just enough to scare the killer. I want you to pretend like you’ve just stumbled on a case-breaking piece of evidence.”

  “Even though I haven’t?”

  I nodded.

  “You seriously want me call up a reporter?”

  “Why do you sound so surprised?”

  “I don’t even like giving pre-written press briefings. Having a reporter lob all sorts of questions my way isn’t something that I enjoy.”

  “This isn’t meant to be enjoyable. It’s meant to rattle some cages.”

  “Isn’t there a better way that we can do that?”

  I shook my head. “Not as far as I’m concerned. I mean, we’ve already interviewed all of the suspects. And you have a deputy keeping watch over each of them. But we’re not making any progress. You know what they say? Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

  “This is a really desperate move.”

  “I’m open to any other ideas,” I said.

  David became quiet. I knew he hated the idea of bluffing, especially on live TV. But a plan like this had serious potential, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

  “Face it,” I said. “This is the best chance we have of drawing the killer out of hiding.”

  He stared me down. “How confident are you about this plan of yours?”

  “Pretty confident.”

  He took a deep breath. “All right. Let’s give it a go.”

  Chapter Five

  David picked up the phone and called Brooke McDillon. Not surprisingly, Brooke was eager to speak with my husband. Honestly, Brooke had been wanting to interview David for a while. She frequently showed up at crime scenes hoping to get a scoop. Most of the time, she put a microphone in front of David’s face and fired a number of questions at him. When that happened, David always gave her almost nothing to work with.

  This would be different. With David seeking out an interview, Brooke probably felt like she would be able to get an answer to all of the questions that she’d been holding onto for years. That wouldn’t be the case at all.

  Right then, Brooke didn’t know that. She just saw an opportunity to speak with a police detective on camera and she jumped at it.

  It didn’t take long for Brooke to arrive at the police station. In fact, less than ten minutes after David got off the phone with her, she made her way through the front door.

  A short time later, the camera was rolling and Brooke started asking David questions. That was when things got interesting. At that point, Brooke and David had opposing goals.

  Brooke wanted the interview to be as long and as compelling as possible. Meanwhile, David wanted to keep things brief.

  Right then, David had to be careful. He didn’t want to reveal too much. On the flip side, he had to give Brooke something to work with.

  “Detective, I’m sure you know this, but people in this town are scared. Very scared,” Brooke said.

  “I understand. And I’m sorry about that,” David replied.

  “With your investigation stretching into its fourth day, a desperation is setting in. It’s very unsettling knowing that a killer is on the loose.”

  “True. But there’s no reason for anyone to panic.”

  “Why not?”

  “There is no evidence that the general pub
lic is in any danger. Or that the killer will strike again.”

  “Just because there’s no current evidence doesn’t mean that the murderer won’t kill a second time.”

  “While that is technically the truth, I would strongly encourage the public to stay calm.”

  “You can say that all you want, but it’s easier said than done. If you had a suspect in custody, things would be different. That’s not the case, though, is it?”

  “We haven’t arrested anyone yet, but that day will be coming soon.”

  “Is that right?”

  David nodded. “Yes. That’s actually why I called you up. I wanted to tell you that we’re making some really good progress on this case.”

  Brooke’s eyes lit up. “How good are we talking?”

  “Some new evidence has actually just come to light.”

  “What sort of evidence?”

  “Brooke, you know I can’t go into specifics. Especially when it comes to an ongoing investigation.”

  “Come on, Detective. Can you give me something to work with?”

  “I’ll say this. We’re really close to blowing this case wide open.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Oh yeah. I believe we’ll have the killer in custody very soon.”

  “If you’re correct, that’s some very good news.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  “I don’t suppose you can tell me which suspect is at the top of your list, can you?”

  “I can’t reveal that information to you. At least, not right now. I’ll be happy to share that with you once we have the killer in custody, however.”

  “Are you sure that you can’t give me just a little hint?”

  “I’m afraid that given the ongoing nature of this investigation, that’s all the information that I can share with you now.”

  “Really?”

  “Before I go, I just want to say one more thing. This case will be over soon. And the streets of Treasure Cove will be safe once again.”

  ***

  After finishing his last statement, David walked away. For a moment, Brooke stood there in shock over how abruptly the interview had ended. Brooke then turned back toward the TV camera and signed off.

  From there, Brooke and her cameraman packed up their equipment and headed back to the TV studio.

  A different scene unfolded at David’s desk. I was waiting for him when he returned. He looked really stressed out. I didn’t blame him.

  That had been a really risky interview. Things could have gone far differently. Brooke had asked him a number of prying questions. She wanted access to some highly sensitive information.

  David had to do a delicate dance to keep any important details from spilling out. He was worried that he might have given too much away. Deep down, he knew that the killer would be watching. The trick was to put a scare into the killer. To make them worried that their arrest was imminent. If David was successful in doing that, he could get the killer on the run.

  While David seemed to be uncertain about whether he had accomplished what he had set out to do, I was really proud of my husband. In my opinion, he’d done everything right. The groundwork had been set. The question now became, would his efforts pay off?

  Before we could find out the answer to that, David wanted to discuss the situation with me.

  “All right. I did everything that you asked me to,” he said. “I’m just not sure if we’ll get the response that we’re looking for.”

  “I know you’re doubting yourself, but you did a great job,” I replied.

  “I’m glad you feel that way.”

  “You don’t?”

  “Honestly, I’m not getting a good read on things.”

  “Well, I am.”

  “Here’s hoping that you’re right.”

  “You know how spot-on my instincts usually are.”

  “Oh yeah. I’ve definitely learned not to bet against them.”

  “I definitely have a good feeling about this.”

  “Good for you.”

  “Do you still need convincing?”

  “Look. I’m not trying to be a skeptic here.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “I’m just not getting the gut feeling that you are.”

  “That’s odd. What are your instincts telling you?”

  “Honestly, not much. My gut is surprisingly quiet at the worst possible time. I’m talking disturbingly silent.”

  I bit the corner of my lip and then replied, “That’s strange.”

  He grimaced. “It’s definitely not something that I’m used to. Then again, this entire case has kind of thrown me for a loop.”

  “I’m with you on that.”

  “Which makes it all the more surprising that you have such a strong gut feeling that your plan is going to work.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you. My gut clearly knows more than I do.”

  “I just wish it was able to provide you with more specifics.”

  “Wouldn’t that be nice? But sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way.”

  “You can say that again.”

  “Be patient. We’ll find out soon enough.”

  David chuckled.

  My forehead wrinkled. “What’s so funny?”

  “You telling me to be patient,” he replied. “You’re the most impatient person I’ve ever met.”

  “Go figure. Our roles are suddenly reversed.”

  He shook his head in disbelief. “Just when I think that this case can’t get any weirder.”

  “Come on, honey. You know things can always get weirder.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “I’m trying not to. Make no mistake. I can’t wait for this case to be over.”

  “I’ll bet,” he replied. “Then again, you say that about every case.”

  “Because it’s the truth. I’m not a fan of drawn-out investigations. In fact, I’m still waiting for the day when an open and shut case is handed to us.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re not holding your breath.”

  “I’ll say. Still, I believe that the interview that you gave could lead to the break that we’ve been waiting for.”

  He crossed his fingers. “I sure hope so.”

  “We’ll find out soon enough.”

  “Hopefully, sooner rather than later.”

  “In the meantime, we both have some praying to do.”

  “I was going to suggest pacing around nervously, but I like your idea better.”

  Chapter Six

  I knew that God received a lot of prayers in any given day. It was selfish of me to ask for my prayer to be pushed to the front of the line. At that moment, I didn’t care. Justice was on the line. A killer was on the loose. I didn’t believe that I was asking too much to get a break.

  Apparently, God agreed. That evening, the interview aired on the local news. The following morning, there was some serious chatter on David’s police radio. David got an early-morning call from Deputy Richard Tolliver. The deputy had been assigned to keep watch over Max Bolton. While Tolliver was staked out in front of Max’s house, he spotted something very interesting.

  Max got a visitor. It wasn’t just any random person either. Instead, it was Kristin Boxer. When one murder suspect visited another, it always drew some attention. With good reason. It was important to find out what was being discussed.

  In this particular case, my curiosity level was even higher. Part of that was because Kristin and Max were a couple. The other reason was because this little visit was taking place after David’s TV interview had aired.

  The moment David and I heard that Kristin had shown up at Max’s midcentury home, we dropped everything and headed over there. While it would have been nice if Kristin and Max had conducted their conversation outside, that didn’t happen. Shortly after Kristin knocked on the front door, Max swung his door open and invited her inside.

  At that point, their conversation was left to speculat
ion.

  At least, for the moment.

  David and I were determined to get answers. As we bolted over to Max’s house, Deputy Tolliver wanted to know if he should approach the house and make his presence known. In David’s mind, that was too quick of an intervention. David wanted the suspects to settle in a little first.

  Besides, we would be arriving at the scene in less than five minutes.

  ***

  When we reached Max’s street and parked our car, David got out of the vehicle and walked over to Tolliver’s sedan to get an update. In addition, Deputy Greg McDougal was also parked on the street. While Tolliver had been assigned to keep watch over Kristin, McDougal had been assigned to keep watch over Max.

  Talk about a large police presence for a single conversation. But that was just how things were shaking out.

  According to Tolliver, neither Kristin nor Max had left the house.

  Right then, my husband had a decision to make. He could wait a few minutes to see if Kristin came out of the house.

  Then again, my husband could also go straight up to the front door and catch Kristin and Max off guard while they were in the middle of their conversation.

  David was in no mood to wait. He decided to make his presence known. He went up to the front door and knocked on it.

  It took about thirty seconds, but Max did answer David’s knocks. When Max swung open the door, he looked surprised to see us standing in front of him.

  “Detective, what are you doing here?” Max asked.

  “You shouldn’t look so shocked right now,” David replied.

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m always on the lookout for suspicious activity.”

  Max’s nose crinkled. “I’m confused. What does that have to do with me?”

  “Are you really going to pretend like something suspicious isn’t going on here?”

  “I’m not pretending anything. I’m just going to come out and say straight out, nothing suspicious is going on here.”

  “Nice try, but I know you and Kristin were just talking.”

  “So what? This is a free country. I can talk to anyone I want. Especially my girlfriend.”