Pie Peril and a Peculiar Murder Page 5

  “I know,” David said. “I was just hoping that solving this case wouldn’t be quite so difficult.”

  I winced. “That’s just how things go sometimes. But look, as rough as things started out, the truth is out there somewhere.”

  “It is. And we’re not going to stop until we discover it.”

  I threw out my arms. “The question is, how?”

  “That’s a question to tackle tomorrow. Right now, I need a break,” David said.

  “I’m right there with you,” I said.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Before calling it quits for the evening, there was one thing that David needed to do. In order to avoid missing out on any potential leads, the safest bet was to assign a deputy to keep tabs on each of the suspects. If we got lucky, one of them would slip up.

  On the flip side, even if none of the suspects ended up doing anything suspicious, at least David and I would have our bases covered. Regardless of the outcome, it was certainly worth a try.

  Normally, the process of assigning deputies to tail suspects went off without a hitch. This time, things didn’t go quite as seamlessly. Especially when our daughter insisted on getting involved.

  Much to my chagrin, Jessica was chomping at the bit to do a stakeout in front of one of the suspect’s houses. She didn’t care which one. She just wanted to take part in this investigation. Meanwhile, I didn’t want Jess to be anywhere near this case. If it was up to me, she would sit this one out entirely.

  When David and I arrived back at the police station, Jessica was determined to change my mind.

  “Mom, this is a golden opportunity,” Jessica said.

  “To do what, put your life at risk?” I asked.

  “The assignment would be to keep tabs on a suspect, not to get into a gunfight with them,” Jessica said.

  “We’re talking about murder suspects here. There’s always a chance that they could turn violent. Especially if they discover they are being watched.”

  “So, what? I’m just supposed to give out speeding tickets while a killer is on the loose?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”

  “What you call ridiculous, I call a safe move.”

  Jessica put her hands on her hips. “Are you really going to pretend like you couldn’t use my help? That this isn’t the kind of case where all hands should be on deck.”

  “Jess, this has nothing to do with me doubting your abilities,” I said.

  “Let me pitch in then,” Jessica said.

  “It’s not that simple—”

  “Sure it is. You’re the one who is making it difficult.”

  “Because I’m worried that you’re going to get killed.”

  “You don’t think I know how to take care of myself? That I haven’t been trained for this exact situation?”

  “There’s a big difference between training and first-hand experience. After all, we’re talking about some seriously dangerous people here.”

  Jessica turned the tables on me. “And yet you have been staring them down all day, in the same way that you’ve done with countless other cases over the years.”

  “That’s different—” I started to say.

  She folded her arms. “Why? Because it’s you?”

  I tried to reply, but Jessica kept talking.

  “Let me tell you something. When I was growing up, I spent an absurd amount of time worried about your safety. Every time you and dad investigated a homicide, I had to fight off terrible thoughts about you both dying,” Jessica said.

  I grimaced. “That must have been so tough for you.”

  “It was, but that isn’t why I told you that,” Jessica said.

  My nose scrunched. “Then why did you say that?”

  “To prove a point. Sometimes, you need to overcome your fear. Especially when you realize what’s at stake. Now, a killer is on the loose. And I could play an integral role in bringing them to justice. As a matter of fact, it’s my job. Please let me do my part.”

  Up until that point, David had stood off to the side and had remained silent. After Jessica finished her little speech, he let his thoughts on the matter be known.

  “She has a good point,” David said.

  “Thank you for saying that,” Jessica replied.

  I turned to my husband with a disgruntled look on my face. “David, I thought you’d be on my side.”

  David stared deep into my eyes and replied, “Make no mistake. I don’t want anything bad to happen to Jessica. At the same time, this is one of those cases where I really need all hands on deck. I can’t afford to spare any available resources.”

  Jessica spoke up once more. “All right. It’s settled then.”

  David put his hand up. “Not so fast. Even though I’m not going to turn down your help, I’m also not going to throw you into the fire either.”

  Jessica’s nose scrunched. “I’m confused.”

  “Your job is strictly surveillance,” David said. “I’m going to have you stake out Cliff Stanton’s place in an unmarked car. If he does anything out of the ordinary, take note of it. If he goes anywhere, follow him. And if you see anything truly remarkable, I want you to radio me immediately. You are not to do anything brash like confront him directly. Got it?”

  Jessica nodded. “I sure do.”

  David then turned to me. “How is that for a compromise?”

  I bit the corner of my lip before responding, “I suppose that’s the safest assignment you could give her.”

  “Don’t worry. If I see anything out of the ordinary, I will call it in,” Jessica said.

  “I’m sure you will,” I said. “Even so, I can’t help but worry about you.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next day

  When the morning arrived, my husband and I were well rested. We weren’t any closer to finding the killer, however. If anything, we were staring at a muddled investigative landscape. The path to discovering the truth was uncertain.

  This stage of an investigation was always the most frustrating for me. After all, it was difficult enough to catch a killer when leads were plentiful. Once all the suspect interviews had been completed, it was a different ballgame altogether.

  In order to crack this case, my husband and I would need to dig around. Or wait until one of the suspects slipped up. Then again, there was always a small chance that we would get lucky. While we always welcomed catching a break, we weren’t about to rely on something as fickle as luck. We aimed to be proactive. To push the suspects out of their comfort zones.

  Before we did that, though, we needed some caffeine. When we arrived at my family’s coffee shop, David elected to stay in the car. He was going to radio the police station to see if there were any updates regarding the case.

  Meanwhile, I went inside Daley Buzz to get drinks for us. Just as I expected, two of my best friends were sitting at a table, chatting away. After ordering a double espresso for David and a latte for myself, I approached Kelly Hogan and Shannon Marlowe to see what was new with them.

  They were both really animated, which led me to believe that they were talking about the case. In a town as small as Treasure Cove, a murder was huge news. Most of the time, it dominated everyone’s conversations for weeks.

  Imagine my surprise then when my friends were discussing a completely different matter entirely.

  “I never thought I’d see the day when a homicide wasn’t front page news,” I said.

  Shannon was a petite redhead who had freckles dotting the cheeks of her round face. She replied candidly, “Oh, it’s all over the news. We’ve spent a bunch of time talking about it already.”

  “That’s why we’re taking a break from discussing the news right now,” Kelly said.

  I looked over at my full-figured friend. She had wavy blond hair, blue eyes, and was wearing her glasses rather than her typical contact lenses.

  I replied, “That makes more sense.”

  “Speaking of breaks, I’ll bet you could go for one of those right now,” Shannon said.

  “I sure could,” I replied. “A long vacation would be nice.”

  “I was actually talking about a break in the case,” Shannon said.

  “I wouldn’t turn down one of those either,” I said.

  “Let me guess. This investigation has been a brutal one,” Shannon said.

  “You can say that again,” I replied.

  “Rather than repeat myself, how about we avoid talking about the case entirely?” Shannon asked.

  “That would be great,” I said.

  Kelly winced. “Wow. This case really is getting to you, isn’t it?”

  “Honestly, it’s more than just the investigation itself,” I said.

  Kelly’s forehead wrinkled. “I’m not following you.”

  “I’m also pretty stressed out about Jessica too. I’ve been having a really hard time adjusting to the fact that she’s a police officer now,” I said.

  “I don’t blame you. I’d be freaking out,” Shannon said.

  “Same here,” Kelly added.

  “Part of me keeps asking why life is so unfair. I mean, both of you have a kid safely away at college working on getting a bachelor’s degree. Meanwhile, mine is patrolling the streets, ready to throw herself into the fire,” I said. “How did I end up with such a bold daughter?”

  “You only need to look in the mirror to find out the answer to that question,” Shannon said.

  I exhaled. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Sabrina, you’re my best friend, but let’s get serious for a moment. You’re a woman with no law enforcement background who stares down murder suspects on a regular basis. Does it really surprise you that you ended up with an incredibly bold daughter?”

  “I guess not,” I said. “At the same time, as a mother, this is a terrifying predicament to be in.”

  “I can imagine,” Kelly said. “I wouldn’t want to trade places with you.”

  I took a deep breath and then replied, “Why don’t we talk about something else?”

  “Fair enough,” Kelly said. “Do you have another topic in mind?”

  “I was hoping that you two could suggest something. For example, what were you discussing before I came over here?” I asked.

  “The news we just heard about Melissa Maxwell retiring,” Shannon said.

  My eyes widened. “Wait a minute. Are you serious?”

  Shannon nodded.

  “Wow. What a shocker,” I said.

  Shannon threw out her arms. “Why do you look so surprised?”

  “Because she’s around our age,” I said.

  “What, you’ve never thought about retiring?” Shannon asked.

  “Have you?” I replied.

  “Of course I have. I’m not going to run my sandwich shop forever,” Shannon said.

  “The same goes for my crystal shop,” Kelly said. “I probably only have a few more years left in me before I hand things off to my daughter.”

  “Yeah. The way I figure it, when my son graduates from college, I’ll teach him the ropes for about a year or so, and then I’ll call it quits,” Shannon said.

  “I have to say, you two have put way more thought into this than I ever would have expected,” I replied.

  Shannon folded her arms. “Come on, Sabrina. Have you really never thought about what it would be like to retire?”

  “If you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of busy with a murder investigation at the moment,” I said.

  “I realize that. But when this is over, you might want to give your future some thought. After all, none of us are getting any younger,” Shannon said.

  “Thank you for that not-so-cheerful reminder,” I deadpanned.

  “I didn’t bring that up to bum you out. If anything, I said that to get you thinking. I mean, imagine if you and David spent your days relaxing on the shores of Lake Ashford. You already own a cabin there. Would it really be that much of a stretch to move up there full time?” Shannon asked.

  “What if we all bought cabins up there?” Kelly suggested. “How cool would that be?”

  Shannon’s eyes lit up. “I would love that.”

  Kelly stared at me. “Sabrina, what do you think?”

  “That my mind is on overload right now,” I said.

  “In that case, why don’t we shelve this topic for now?” Kelly said.

  “That’s probably for the best,” I said. “I really should get back to the homicide investigation.”

  “All right, well good luck,” Shannon said.

  “Thanks. I’m going to need it,” I said.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The caffeine from my latte ended up giving me a boost, but the effects were temporary. By lunchtime, my energy levels were sagging once again.

  That wasn’t all. It had also proven to be a frustrating morning. Even though my husband and I did our best to make some headway with the case, our efforts produced no results. I tried to remind myself that it was still early in the investigation. That homicide cases took time to solve. And that there was no telling when we might stumble upon a break that could turn the tide.

  Ultimately, the afternoon came and went without any earth-shaking revelations. All told, the entire day felt like nothing more than one big exercise in futility.

  Rather than going over the same ground again only to get nowhere, when nightfall arrived, David and I decided to put our investigative efforts on hold for the evening. We grabbed a quick meal from Zelda’s Diner, and then headed home to our Victorian-style home on Avocado Lane. When we arrived at our place, our pet corgi, Sebastian, gave us an energetic welcome.

  That was one of the reasons that I loved dogs so much. It didn’t matter if I felt like the day had been a huge failure. In Sebastian’s eyes, I would always be a hero.

  Don’t get me wrong. I was fully aware that he was partly giving me tons of attention because he wanted food. On the flip side, once he had inhaled his dinner and his belly was full, he still followed me around the house, gazing up at me adoringly.

  It was safe to say that the feeling was mutual. Sebastian was all I could ask for in a furry companion. Whenever I was around him, my mood improved significantly. After a rough day of case work, that kind of positivity went a long way.

  Sebastian’s joyful presence was felt in other ways around the house as well. Frankly, I still hadn’t completely adjusted to becoming an empty nester. For the last year or so, the house had felt strange. Bigger. Emptier. Colder.

  It all began when Jessica left Treasure Cove to attend the police academy. All of a sudden, our home had a completely different energy to it. When our daughter was growing up, this place was full of life. Now, every room felt a lot like a time capsule. That was partially due to the fact that David and I hadn’t changed a thing after Jess moved out. Practically everything was just the way she left it.

  Over the course of the last twelve months, my husband and I had discussed making some changes. We just hadn’t taken action. At this point, we really should have. After all, Jessica wasn’t going to be moving back in. She was renting an apartment of her own about fifteen blocks away.

  Perhaps when this case was solved, David and I would make a final decision about what changes to implement inside our home. In the meantime, there were far more pressing issues at hand.

  ***

  After watching TV for a few hours, David and I headed into our bedroom to get changed for bed. That was when we began discussing the events of the afternoon.

  “What a day, huh?” I asked.

  He grimaced. “It was a tough one, all right.”

  “Seems like there’s been a lot of those lately.”

  “Isn’t that the truth?” David said. “Life can start taking it easy on us any day now.”

  I gritted my teeth. “This case is a real pain in the neck.”

  David winced as he rubbed his feet. “Honestly, my neck isn’t the only part of my body that is in pain right now.”

  I looked down at his feet. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “My muscles are just a little sore right now,” David said. “But I should be fine after I get some rest.”

  “I hope you’re right. If we’re going to solve this case, we need to stay on our toes,” I said.

  “I realize that. Why do you think I’m turning in early tonight? I’m not as young as I used to be.”

  “To be fair, neither of us are.”

  “True, but you’re not showing your age nearly as much as I am.”

  “I’m not sure that I agree, but it’s sweet of you to say that.”

  He gazed at me. “Trust me. You’re just as gorgeous as ever.”

  My face went red. “You still know how to make me blush after all these years.”

  He leaned over on the bed. “I love you.” He then gave me a kiss.

  Unfortunately, the kiss didn’t last very long. He pulled back after a second and put his hand on his lower back.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be all right?”

  He got up from the bed and headed into the bathroom, where he grabbed a medicated patch for his back.

  “Like I said before, I’m just sore.”

  “Okay. I’m just checking.”

  “Honestly, I’m surprised that your muscles aren’t aching right now.”

  “Guess I’m just lucky.”

  “Go figure. That’s the only lucky break that either of us have caught all week.”

  “You’re right. Luck doesn’t seem to be on our side. Meanwhile, life does appear to be trying to send us a message.”

  David stared blankly at me. “What are you talking about?”

  “Honey, do you ever think about retirement?” I asked.

  My husband grimaced. “This case must have really gotten under your skin if that’s what’s on your mind right now.”

  I shook my head. “No. You have it all wrong.”

  “Would you mind clueing me in then?”

  “This morning, I got news that Melissa Maxwell is retiring.”

  “Oh,” David said. “Good for her.”

  “When Shannon, Kelly, and I discussed this new development, they both revealed to me that they have thought about retirement quite a bit lately.”