Fruit Pie with a Side of Danger Read online

  Walter put his hand up. “No. Don’t go.”

  “There’s nothing you can say that will make me stay. I’m out of here.”

  “Please don’t leave.”

  I ignored his request. At the same time, before I stormed out, I had one more thing to say to him.

  “Stay out of my life.”

  Chapter Twelve

  When I got into my car, I was a complete wreck. Normally, I would have just sat in the driver’s seat for a few seconds to regain my composure. At that moment, I wanted to get as far away from that bistro as possible. So, I just began to drive.

  I didn’t head straight home, however. Nor did I drive to Mitchell’s Bakery. Although, I did have a craving for a sweet treat right then.

  Ultimately, I ignored my sweet tooth and made my way over to my parents’ house on Sycamore Grove Trail. When I arrived, my mother, Elizabeth, was doing yoga. She immediately abandoned her workout routine when she saw the devastated look on my face.

  After I told her about what had just happened with Walter, my mom leaned forward and wrapped her arms around me.

  “Oh dear. What a disaster,” Elizabeth said.

  I began to tear up. “It’s absolutely devastating.”

  Elizabeth winced. “I was worried that something like this would happen.”

  “I know,” I replied. “And you did your best to warn me, but I went ahead and met with him anyway—”

  “Sabrina, I'm not trying to say I told you so.”

  My eyebrows rose. “You aren’t?”

  She shook her head. “No. I would never do that.”

  “You have every right to. I mean, you were completely correct.”

  “Trust me. I really wish I had been wrong about this. I’m so sorry.”

  “What are you apologizing for? This isn’t your fault.”

  “I realize that. I just hate seeing you this way. It breaks my heart that your father hurt you like this.”

  I stared off into the distance. “You know, for a moment there, I was really starting to believe that Walter had changed. That he was a different man than the one who skipped town all those years ago. But I was dead wrong.”

  “Don’t go blaming yourself.”

  “That’s easy for you to say.”

  “Actually, nothing about this is easy. Especially since I know exactly what you’re going through.”

  “I know. Walter has sure brought us a lot of pain over the years, hasn’t he?”

  “Too much.” My mother then stared out into the distance. “You know, for the longest time before I divorced him, I bought his act. I probably shouldn’t have, but he can be very convincing when he wants to be. At least for a while. Until his true colors shine through.”

  “And what heartbreaking colors they are. I just can’t get over the fact that he would do something like this.”

  “I know. I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better. But I know there isn’t. So, I’m just going to hold you tight and tell you how sorry I am.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  My mother did her best to console me, but there was only so much that she could do. She certainly didn’t have the ability to undo Walter’s actions. There was no way to erase the heartbreak that I had experienced. I had a feeling that time was the only thing that could heal my wound now.

  Then again, perhaps I was wrong. My husband had a knack for making me feel better. It was one of his talents. Unfortunately, he wasn’t home right then. Instead, he was on the beat. And he would continue to be for a number of hours.

  Part of me wanted to call him anyway. After some careful consideration, I decided against that. What if David was in the middle of a drug bust? Or was taking care of some other serious matter? I didn’t want to interrupt him. Or to put him in danger. He needed to stay focused. If he became distracted, it could spell disaster for him.

  Rather than calling David, I spent the next few hours home alone, attempting to process my emotions. Maybe when David finally did finish his shift, I would have a better handle on things.

  ***

  That turned out to be wishful thinking on my part. Instead of being well-adjusted, I was still a mess when my husband arrived home that evening.

  In fact, concern filled David’s eyes the moment he walked into the kitchen and saw me. After giving me a big hug, he asked what was wrong. I then explained everything that had taken place that afternoon.

  As expected, David immediately expressed his sympathy. He also gave me a big hug. It was then that my deepest thoughts began spilling out of me.

  “Do you know what upsets me the most?” I asked.

  “The fact that your father cares more about money than he does about you?” David said.

  “That definitely tops the list,” I replied. “But it turns out that something else about this situation is incredibly upsetting.”

  “Such as?”

  “Ever since Walter returned to Treasure Cove, my instincts have told me to be careful. But this morning, I didn't listen to them. I wanted to believe the best about my father. I remained hopeful that he truly had changed. In doing so, my optimism blinded me to the truth.”

  “There was nothing wrong with being hopeful. I was hopeful about your father too,” David said.

  “What good is hope if it clouds your judgment? This is exactly the kind of bad thing that can happen if you let your emotions get in the way.”

  “I’m going to stop you right there. You can’t blame yourself for this.”

  “That’s what you say.”

  “Sabrina, this is your father's fault.”

  “I realize that. At the same time, there’s a lesson to be learned from this. I’m going to keep that in mind for the future.”

  “Let’s hope nothing like this ever happens again.”

  “David, that probably isn’t the best phrasing. Hope is what got us in trouble in the first place.”

  “Fine. I’m going to pray that a situation like this doesn’t occur again.”

  “Honestly, if I had listened to my gut, I wouldn’t be in this mess right now.” I let out a groan. “I should have never trusted Walter.”

  “You say that, but how could you possibly have suspected that anything like this would happen?”

  “We track down murderers for a living. People who do everything in their power to keep their darkest secrets from getting out. Still, we find a way to cut through their lies. So, for my father to put one over on me like this is just crazy.”

  “Sabrina, those two situations are very different.”

  “You’d think. If anything, this situation with my father should have been much easier to sniff out. Instead, the opposite was the case.”

  “As devastating as that is, it isn’t entirely surprising.”

  I squinted. “How do you figure?”

  “It’s simple. You never want to suspect the worst about your own family,” he said.

  “You’re right. Why would I?”

  “No one would.”

  “Of course not. So, when something terrible does happen, it is all the more devastating.”

  “Exactly.”

  I grimaced. “And make no mistake, my heart is completely broken.”

  He pulled me in close again. “I know. I’m so sorry about that.”

  “So am I.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The following day, I was still wrestling with the fallout of my father’s actions. In fact, I was so wrapped up in my heartbreak that I didn’t think anything could distract me from the pain I was wrestling with. By the middle of the morning, however, I was quickly proven wrong.

  It all began when I received a phone call from my husband. When I saw David’s name listed on the caller identification screen of my phone, I didn’t hesitate to answer it. After all, David rarely phoned me during a work shift. The rare exception was when something crazy happened in town.

  As I answered the phone, I said a quick little prayer to myself that David was just calling to check up on me. It was plausible that he just wanted to share some comforting words with me regarding my father.

  The minute I took the call, I discovered that David was phoning me about something else entirely.

  “Sabrina, are you sitting down?” David asked.

  “No,” I replied. “Why?”

  “Trust me. You’re going to want to take a seat.”

  “David, what’s the matter?”

  “Roger Osgood is dead.”

  ***

  It took me a few moments to pick my jaw up from the floor. Talk about shocking news. Not just because Roger was dead. But also, because it appeared that Mr. Osgood had committed suicide.

  At least, that was the current theory. After catching my breath, I asked David what led him to believe that Roger had taken his own life. My husband then gave me a rundown of everything he knew.

  Apparently, that morning, Roger’s parole officer had paid Mr. Osgood’s town home a visit. But Roger didn’t answer his doorbell at all. So, the officer peered in Osgood’s living room window. That was when the officer saw Roger’s dead body hanging from a noose inside the home.

  The parole officer then called 9-1-1. A few minutes later, David arrived at the town home with the medical examiner, a forensics team, and a number of deputies in tow.

  At that point, David contacted Roger’s landlord, who came over and unlocked the front door of the town home. The coroner then went to work examining the corpse.

  Meanwhile, David scoured the scene before giving me a call.

  ***

  Once the initial wave of shock washed over me, I jumped into my car and drove over to Roger’s place. This was something that I needed to see for myself.

  When I arrived at Mr. Osgood’s town home, I immediately got a strong feeling in my gut. My instincts became even more pronounced the more I looked around. So, when David finally approached me after he finished speaking with the medical examiner, I was ready to make a bold proclamation.

  “Something is not right here,” I said.

  “You aren’t kidding,” David said. “This is a really disturbing turn of events.”

  “Especially since I believe a killer is on the loose.”

  David’s eyebrows rose. “Wait a minute. A killer?”

  I nodded.

  “You don’t believe this was a suicide then?”

  I shook my head. “Not at all.”

  He bit the corner of his lip.

  “Do you?” I asked.

  “I want to hear more from you first. What makes you so sure this wasn’t a suicide?”

  “To start, I didn’t see a suicide note anywhere.”

  “That’s because there wasn’t one,” David said. “But remember, not everyone leaves a note.”

  “I know. At the same time, I firmly believe that someone as boisterous as Roger certainly would,” I said. “Then again, Osgood didn’t even seem the least bit depressed to me. Which is why I have a hard time believing that he would hang himself.”

  David put his hand up. “Here’s the thing, though. People are often very good at hiding their emotions. Especially when they are depressed.”

  “Normally, I’d agree with you. Roger struck me as someone who was pretty upfront about his emotions, though. In addition, the last time we spoke to him, he didn’t look the least bit depressed.”

  “I can’t disagree with that.”

  “Besides, if he was going to kill himself, why would he do it now, right after he had gotten released from prison? If he was truly depressed enough to end his life, don’t you think he would have done it years ago when he was originally sent to jail?”

  “That’s a fair point.”

  “To do it now, it just doesn’t make any sense,” I said.

  David took a deep breath as he looked over the scene again.

  “What’s your take on this?” I asked.

  “That you have great instincts,” David said.

  “Does that mean you believe my theory?”

  “Honestly, I was already leaning in that direction.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Because of the stuff that I mentioned earlier?” I asked.

  He nodded. “And because of something that the forensics team told me.”

  “Which as?”

  “Surprisingly, the forensics team wasn’t able to pull any fingerprints from the front doorknob.”

  I bit the corner of my lip. “Not even Roger’s prints?”

  David shook his head. “None. Apparently, the knob was clean.”

  “How odd.”

  “That’s not all. The forensics team also couldn’t pull any prints from the noose. Or the rope that was used to hang Roger.”

  “That’s even more peculiar. I mean, if Roger really did tie that noose, there should be all kinds of prints on that rope.”

  “Exactly. Unless someone else tied that noose. Someone who was wearing gloves in order to hide their identity. Someone who murdered Roger and staged this scene to make it look like a suicide.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Wait a minute. If you believe this was a homicide, then why were you playing devil’s advocate back there?”

  “I was interested in getting your take on the situation. I also wanted to see how strong your instincts were.”

  “They are very strong.”

  “So are mine. The problem is, right now, this homicide angle is just a theory. Currently, we don’t have any concrete evidence to prove that Roger was murdered.”

  “That’s what an investigation is for. To find out the truth,” I said.

  “And I plan to do just that,” David said.

  “Good,” I said. “In that case, it’s time to get down to work.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Even though we didn’t have definitive evidence to prove our theory, we were going to treat this case as a possible homicide. My gut was telling me that was the right call. And if the last few days had taught me anything, it was not to ignore my instincts.

  One thing was definitely clear. David and I had a number of suspect interviews to conduct. But before we began questioning anyone, my husband and I developed a plan of attack.

  That included doing things a little differently than normal. Especially when it came to revealing details to the press. Even though David couldn’t keep the local media from finding out that Roger had died, my husband could keep the cause of death a secret.

  In fact, when a reporter approached David, he didn’t mention the word suicide or homicide. Instead, David just told the reporter that Roger had passed away and that an investigation was currently taking place.

  There was one very important reason that my husband was doing this. For example, if one of the suspects that we interviewed mentioned anything about a possible suicide, it would be a dead giveaway that they were responsible for Roger’s death.

  When David finished speaking with the press, my husband and I moved on to the next item on our list.

  Before David and I could really sink our teeth into this investigation, we needed to know that our daughter would be safe.

  I pulled my phone out of my purse and dialed my mother’s number to ask her for some help. Thankfully, Elizabeth answered the phone after the second ring.

  “Sabrina, I was just thinking about you,” my mother said.

  “Really? Why?” I asked.

  “Because of what your father did to you. I just feel so bad.”

  Honestly, with everything going on regarding Roger Osgood’s death, I had briefly forgotten about my father and the pain he had caused me. Considering how much Walter Cobb had broken my heart, that was saying a lot.

  Rather than getting embroiled in a discussion about my father, I decided to cut straight to the chase with my mother.

  “Mom, can I ask a favor of you?” I said.

  “Do you want me to stop talking about your father? I know I’ve brought him up a lot lately, but it’s only because he’s such a scumbag—”

  “I can’t disagree with that,” I said. “But I actually called you about something else entirely.”

  “Really?” she asked. “What?”

  “Can you pick up Jessica from school today?”

  Instead of answering my question, my mother replied with a query of her own. “Uh-oh. What happened?”

  I clued my mom in on Roger’s death. It was important for her to know just how dire the situation was. As expected, she was in shock when she heard the news.

  “That’s crazy,” she said.

  “It sure is,” I replied. “Now, as you can imagine, David and I have our hands full.”

  “Don’t worry about Jessica. I’ll pick her up from school and watch her for as long as you need.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  “Of course. That’s what parents are for.”

  “I owe you one.”

  “No, you don’t. The way I figure it, it’s the least I can do.”

  “I really appreciate it.”

  “It’s my pleasure. I love spoiling my granddaughter.”

  I chuckled. “Isn’t that the truth?” I then looked over at David, who was getting antsy to begin this investigation. “Anyway, I need to get to work.”

  “I understand,” she said. “But before you go, I just want to say one more thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Be careful.”

  “I will,” I said.

  “Good,” my mother said.

  Chapter Sixteen

  David and I hadn’t even begun interviewing suspects yet and I could already tell this would be a unique case. Not just because the scene was staged to look like a suicide. Also because of the suspects that were on our list.

  Roger’s wife, Danielle, had divorced him shortly after he went to jail. Once the paperwork was completed, she left California and moved back east, where her sister and brother lived.

  Meanwhile, Roger’s adult son, George, followed suit, packing up his life in Treasure Cove and relocating to Florida.