Fruit Pie with a Side of Danger Read online

  After plugging the phone number into the police database, David was able to get the address where the pay phone was located. According to his computer, the phone was situated at the intersection of Pine Street and Maple Avenue.

  David was quite familiar with that street corner. There was a popular mini-mart at that very intersection. With any luck, the mini-mart would have a working security camera. The key word there being working. It was incredible how many businesses in Treasure Cove didn’t have a security system. Or they had a broken one.

  Luckily, when David and I arrived at the mini-mart, they had a functional system. After telling the owner about our predicament, the burly fifty-year-old man led us into a back room to let us take a look at some recent security camera footage.

  That was when David and I hit the jackpot. When we rewound the security tape to the time that the threatening call was placed, we saw video of a man standing at the pay phone. Our good fortune didn’t stop there, however. As we continued watching the video, the recording also captured a shot of the tall man walking away from the pay phone. That tall man then got into a silver sedan.

  Much to our delight, the sedan’s license plate number was also visible on the security tape. That made identifying the caller incredibly easy.

  At that point, all David had to do was type the sedan’s plate number into his database.

  A few seconds later, a result came up, indicating that the vehicle was registered to Joshua Richmond.

  Chapter Eight

  Now that we knew who had placed the call, the next step was to apprehend Joshua. Sometimes, that was easier said than done. During my time investigating cases, I rarely encountered a suspect that gave up without a fight. A lot of them tried to skip town before we were able to track them down. Other times, when David went in to arrest them, they turned violent.

  With that in mind, David knew it was important to be prepared for anything. After looking up Joshua’s address in the police database, David called in some back up. Three different patrol cars were going to join my husband at Joshua’s house.

  Surprisingly, when David arrived at Josh’s beige ranch-style home and knocked on the front door, the suspect swung open his door without putting up a fight. In fact, when David was able to handcuff Josh and drag him back to his squad car without any altercation whatsoever.

  Talk about refreshing. It was almost shocking how smoothly Joshua’s arrest went. Once David loaded Joshua into the back of a squad car, the suspect was transported to the police station.

  From there, Joshua was brought to an interrogation room for questioning. The brown-haired fifty-three-year-old gritted his teeth as he sat in his car. He was a tall man with a lanky frame. But David’s focus was on Joshua’s hazel eyes. My husband stared the suspect down and began the interview with one simple question.

  “What do you have to say for yourself?” David asked.

  “You have this all wrong,” Joshua replied.

  “Are you saying that you didn’t threaten Roger Osgood?” David asked.

  Joshua opened his mouth to reply.

  “Before you say another word, let me remind you. It is a crime to lie to a police detective,” David remarked.

  Joshua lowered his head and took a deep breath. He then responded, “Yes, I threatened him.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “It was just a phone call, though. I had no intention of hurting him.”

  David scoffed. “Do you really expect me to believe that?”

  “Yes.”

  David threw out his arms. “Why should I buy that story?”

  “Because it’s the truth.”

  “If you didn’t plan on hurting Roger then why did you threaten him?”

  “I just wanted to scare him.”

  “Really?” David said.

  Joshua nodded.

  “I find that hard to believe,” David said.

  “Detective, I’m not a violent person,” Joshua said.

  “Your story is getting more ridiculous by the minute.”

  “Just hear me out.”

  “I’m all ears. But frankly, you’re not making a lot of sense right now.”

  “Roger ruined my life.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “After everything he did, and all the people that he scammed, he deserved far more than five years behind bars. Yet, he’s already out of jail. That slime ball is free to go on with the rest of his life. Meanwhile, I’m struggling. To this day, I’m still trying to get my life back in order. It’s not fair.”

  “That doesn’t give you the right to threaten him.”

  “Like I said before, I had no intention of hurting him. I just wanted to scare him. To give him a taste of his own medicine. A soulless man like that isn’t capable of feeling remorse. But he’s not immune to fear. So, after everything he took from me, I wanted to take his sense of safety from him. I wanted him to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life. To make him fret about what danger might be right around the corner. If I could do that, I knew I could go to bed happy.”

  “I have news for you. I don’t think you’re ever going to go to bed happy again,” David said.

  Joshua shook his head. “I shouldn’t be here right now. The way I see it, I did the world a favor.”

  “Just keep telling yourself that. The fact is, you’re a criminal. It is a felony to threaten someone’s life. You’re going to be spending a number of years behind bars,” David said. “With that in mind, do you still believe that you did the world a favor?”

  “Like I said before, Roger already took so much from me. My life is already hell. Jail doesn’t scare me.”

  “Let’s see if that changes once you’re behind bars.”

  “You’re spending all this time focusing on me, but Roger is the one who should be in prison right now. When you locked him up years ago, you should have thrown away the key. He should have never gotten out.”

  “I’m not here to debate whether Roger should or shouldn’t still be in jail. Right now, my focus is on you,” David said.

  “Let me tell you something. I’m not the only one who feels this way. It’s only a matter of time until that scumbag gets what he deserves. And that day is going to be sweet,” Joshua said.

  Chapter Nine

  When David was done questioning Joshua, two deputies led the prisoner from the interrogation room to a jail cell. Meanwhile, David returned to his desk. When he arrived, I was sitting in front of his computer. Thanks to the magic of modern technology, David was able to live stream a feed of the security camera footage from the interrogation room to his laptop.

  I had watched the action with great interest. And now that the interview was done, I had a number of thoughts to share with my husband.

  Naturally, David wasn’t shy about his feelings either. “That was disturbing,” he said.

  “Which part? The fact that he threatened Roger, or that he didn’t feel the slightest bit of remorse about his actions?” I asked.

  “Both.”

  “I guess it just goes to show how dangerous people can be when they lose all hope.”

  “Or when they go crazy.”

  I put my hand up. “I’d be careful lumping him in with your average nut ball.”

  David’s eyebrows rose. “Why is that?”

  “Over the years, we’ve both had the displeasure of talking to all sorts of lunatics. In fact, some of them bring all new meaning to the phrase insanity—”

  David groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

  “Joshua is different, though. He’s not your average nutcase. To me, he’s just a man who was pushed to the brink. So, even though I condemn his actions, I also feel like things shouldn’t have come to this.”

  “Because you believe that Roger Osgood should still be in jail?”

  I nodded and then grimaced. “Frankly, this entire situation has left a bitter taste in my mouth.”

  “I understand. Usually, catching a bad guy feels far more satisfying.”

  “Exactly. I have to admit, I’m not used to sympathizing with criminals.” I took a deep breath. “This is definitely not a place I want to be in.”

  “You?” David replied. “Think about Joshua. After what he did, he’s going to be in jail for years.”

  “I still can’t believe that he threw his freedom away like that,” I said. “What a shame.”

  “While I don’t disagree with you, what’s done is done,” David replied. “And I’m going to take comfort in the fact that this case is over and done with.”

  “Is it really, though?”

  David squinted. “Sabrina, do you know something that I don’t?”

  “You heard Joshua back there, talking about everyone that Roger scammed—”

  “Just because I heard him doesn’t mean that I believe another threat is imminent.”

  “David, Roger Osgood scammed a lot of people. Do you really think that Joshua is the only one who has been pushed to the brink?”

  “Probably not.”

  “I’d say definitely not.”

  “Still, there’s a big difference between having an ax to grind and trying to get revenge.”

  “I know. And don’t get me wrong. As much as I hate Roger Osgood, I’m not advocating for people to take the law into their own hands. This isn’t the Wild West,” I said.

  “It sure isn’t,” David replied.

  “I’m just saying that other people in this town clearly disagree.”

  “You mean, one person?”

  “So far.”

  David took a deep breath. “Do you really think there will be more?”

  I folded my arms. “I certainly can’t rule it out.”

  David gritted his teeth. “I hope you’re wrong.”
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  “So do I. But you know how my instincts are sometimes.”

  “Are you getting a strong instinct about something else happening?”

  I nodded. “Oh yeah.”

  David groaned. “Great.”

  “I’m warning you. Be on the lookout.”

  “I will,” he said.

  Chapter Ten

  David felt it was important to extend the same warning to Roger Osgood. In addition, now that Joshua had been apprehended, my husband wanted to give Osgood an update about the case. So, David headed over to Roger’s south side townhome to speak with him.

  When Roger opened his front door for David, he didn’t waste any time with small talk.

  “Please tell me you caught the punk who threatened me,” Roger said.

  David nodded. “As a matter of fact, I did.”

  Roger rubbed his hands together. “Good. Who was it?”

  “Joshua Richmond,” David said.

  Roger’s eyes widened.

  “Are you surprised to hear that name?” David asked.

  Roger didn’t answer David’s question. Instead, he focused on a different point.

  “I’m glad he’s behind bars,” Roger said.

  “By the way, Joshua had some choice words for you.”

  “I don’t care what he had to say about me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I've done my time. I’ve completed my sentence.”

  “He doesn’t believe it was long enough.”

  “Yeah? Well, I don't care what he thinks.”

  “Mr. Osgood, I wouldn’t be so hasty in dismissing Joshua’s feelings—”

  “Don’t tell me what to do.”

  “I’m saying this for your own good. And your own protection.”

  “Detective, it’s your job to protect people.”

  “I know what my job is.”

  “Then do it.”

  “That’s exactly what I’ve done. At the same time, I can’t be everywhere at once. Nor can the police department watch your back at all times unless there is an active threat. Got it?”

  “Detective, are you trying to scare me?”

  “No. What I’m trying to do is to talk some sense into you. It’s a dangerous world out there,” David said. “You need to watch your back.”

  ***

  Despite David’s stern warning, Roger didn’t seem to realize how severe the situation truly was. Nor did he appreciate the amount of effort that had been put in to keep him safe. Roger seemed to be as arrogant as ever. Even after David informed him that a patrol car would no longer be looking out for him.

  To me, that was pretty shocking. How was he not the least bit concerned? It just didn’t make sense to me.

  Roger’s brash attitude aside, the case was thankfully now closed. And unlike other investigations, which seemed to drag on forever, this one was surprisingly quick. If only they all went that way. Since they didn’t, I made sure to appreciate how this case had turned out. After all, with Joshua Richmond now behind bars, perhaps life could get back to normal.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next day, Walter Cobb phoned me, wanting to know if we could meet up again. This time, he wanted to grab some lunch. Since our last get together had gone well, I said yes.

  He ended up taking me to a new bistro on Ocean Avenue. It had only been open for a few weeks. I was dying to try out the food there.

  At first, our get together was rather pleasant. We got a nice table outside that had an ocean view. We then made small talk as we looked over the menu. Once our waiter had finished taking our orders, however, I saw Walter tense up a little.

  Initially, I couldn’t figure out why his mood had changed so quickly. When he opened his mouth, I realized why his carefree demeanor had disappeared.

  “I need to talk to you about something important,” Walter said.

  “Okay. What is it?” I asked.

  He took a deep breath before responding, “There’s no easy way to say it, so I’ll just come out with it.”

  “All right.”

  “I’m having some money problems,” he said.

  My heart sank. I had a terrible feeling about where this was going. I quietly prayed that my instincts were wrong, but all signs were pointing to my worst fears being confirmed.

  Walter continued. “I was wondering if you could help me out.”

  My eyes widened. “Wait a minute. You’re asking me for money?”

  “Trust me. I wish I didn’t have to.”

  “No one is forcing you to do this.”

  “Like I said before, I’m having some cash problems. And while it’s really awkward to ask my own daughter for money, I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.”

  “I’m confused. What makes you think I have a bunch of money to spare?”

  “Well, I know you had that TV deal.”

  I didn’t think I could feel any worse about this conversation, but Walter managed to take things to a new low. Not just because of what he was asking, but also because he wasn’t terribly well-informed.

  In fact, he didn’t know the important details about my TV deal. Yes, there was currently a show airing on television that was based on my life. But the television producer responsible for that show wasn’t cutting me weekly checks. When I signed the deal a number of years ago, I was given a one-time payout. And it wasn’t exactly a windfall. The money I was given was just enough to buy a small vacation cabin on Lake Ashford, to build up a college fund for Jessica, and to start up a retirement account for myself and David.

  The truth was, I wasn’t rich by any means. Judging by the look on Walter’s face, he seemed to believe otherwise. At that moment, however, his lack of insight into my finances wasn’t what bothered me the most. I was more disturbed by his intentions.

  I couldn’t help but ask myself, had he just tried to reconcile with me because he thought I was rich? Were these meetings not actually about catching up on lost time? Did he even care about reconnecting with me at all? Or was everything a smoke screen leading up to him asking for cash?

  I didn’t want to think like that, but it was hard not to. It certainly appeared to be the case. Of course, there was only one way of finding out the truth.

  “Is that why you really came back to Treasure Cove? To ask me for money?” I said.

  “No. That’s not the only reason,” he said.

  The wording of Walter’s answer gave me pause.

  “Wait a minute. When you say it wasn’t the only reason, I can’t help but think it was at least one of the reasons. So, tell me. Was asking me for money always part of your plan?”

  Walter looked like he wanted to take back his previous answer. But it was too late. He couldn’t backtrack. Although, he certainly made an attempt to.

  “Look. I misspoke—”

  I looked deep into his eyes. Unfortunately, I hated what I saw. That said, I gave him one last chance to come clean. “Did you really?”

  “Yes. I absolutely misspoke,” he said. “You have to believe me.”

  His eyes told me a different story.

  “I don’t believe that for a second,” I said.

  “No. You have it all wrong,” he said.

  I let out a groan. “I can’t believe I fell for your act.”

  “It wasn’t an act.”

  “Don’t lie to me. I deserve the truth.”

  “Okay. I always did plan on asking you for money. But I also wanted to reconnect with you. I really do care about reconciling with you.”

  “Don’t you mean, you wanted to reconnect with me so you’d have a better chance of getting money from me?”

  “No, that isn’t it at all.”

  “Sure, it isn’t.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Stop right there. Stop lying.”

  “I’m not lying—”

  “I can’t believe you did this to me. You know, you really had me going there. I actually bought your story. I truly thought that you cared about me. That you wanted to reconnect. But it was all just an act. In truth, you only cared about the money. Well, guess what? The jokes on you. I don’t have any money to give you. And even if I was rich, I wouldn’t give you a dime. As a matter of fact, I don’t ever want to talk to you again.”

  I got up from the table all ready to storm out of the restaurant.