Halloween Candy With A Side Of Murder Read online

“I did get over it. But even if I hadn’t, why would I have killed her now?” Peter asked.

  “There’s no expiration date on heartbreak,” I said.

  “You’re not making a lot of sense,” Peter said. “If I wanted her dead, I would have killed her right after she left me. Not now, years later.”

  “That isn’t necessarily true. Heartbreak and loneliness make for a dangerous combination,” I said.

  “Except that I’m not heartbroken or lonely,” Peter replied.

  “I wish I could believe that,” I said.

  “What’s the point of asking me questions if you aren’t going to believe any of my answers?” Peter replied.

  “You want us to believe you? Give us a reason to,” David said.

  Peter groaned. “What do you want from me?”

  “The truth,” David said.

  “That’s what I’ve been telling you,” Peter replied.

  “No. What you have been doing is trying to make a quick exit from this conversation. Innocent people aren’t afraid of a few questions,” David said.

  “Fine. What else do you want to know?” Peter asked.

  “You keep claiming that you are innocent. Well, there’s one way to prove it. Where were you this morning between eight and nine o’clock?” David asked.

  “I was at home eating breakfast and getting ready for work,” Peter replied.

  “Is there anyone who can verify that?” David asked.

  Peter threw out his arms. “Why would I need someone to verify it?”

  “Because your story is only as good as my ability to confirm it,” David said.

  “I was at home. End of story,” Peter replied.

  “Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way,” David said.

  Peter gritted his teeth. “It should. For the last time, I didn’t kill her.”

  “Maybe not. But things don’t look good for you,” David said.

  Peter puffed his chest out. “I don’t care how they look. You can go on all you want about how I can’t prove my innocence, but you can’t prove that I’m guilty, either. I can guarantee that you don’t have a single shred of hard evidence against me, because none exists. And that’s why we’re done here.”

  “Mr. Skelton, you don’t get to decide that,” David said.

  “Are you going to arrest me?” Peter asked.

  David stared Peter down long and hard. I could tell by the stern look in David’s eyes that David wanted to detain Peter. Unfortunately, the sporting goods store owner was right. There was no evidence pointing to him. So it didn’t matter how much suspicion David had. He had no choice but to let Peter go.

  David exhaled. “No.”

  “Then I’m not saying another word,” Peter snapped.

  David issued Peter a warning before walking away. “Don’t even think about leaving town.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  David and I headed over to the north side of town where Michael Gordon’s ex-wife lived. When we arrived, Deanna McMillan was in no hurry to open her front door.

  If it wasn’t for the green sedan that was parked in the driveway of her blue Victorian-style house, I would have thought that she wasn’t home. Instead, after a series of knocks, I just believed that she didn’t want to answer the door.

  I grew increasingly frustrated before heading around back. That was when I saw the full-figured, curly-haired, fifty-three-year-old raking leaves in her backyard.

  David and I introduced ourselves. Surprisingly, when David relayed the news that Allison had been murdered, Deanna seemed completely unmoved. If anything, she looked annoyed that we were interrupting her raking.

  Deanna shrugged. “What are you talking to me for?”

  David squinted at her. “Didn’t you hear me? Allison Gordon is dead.”

  Deanna’s face remained as stiff as ever. “I heard you. I just don’t know why you’re talking to me.”

  “You don’t seem too broken up about Allison’s death,” David said.

  Deanna threw out her arms. “Why would I be?”

  “You two must have gotten along pretty poorly,” David replied.

  Deanna waggled her pointer finger back and forth. “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to. To me, it’s pretty telling how unmoved you are over hearing the news of Allison’s death,” David said.

  “I think that’s an unfair characterization,” Deanna replied.

  “Fine. How did you and Allison get along?” David asked.

  “Not as bad as you seem to think we did,” Deanna replied.

  David gave her a critical stare. “When was the last time you spoke with her?”

  Deanna bit her lip. “I can’t remember.”

  David held his pointer finger up. “Maybe I can refresh your memory. Was it when you had that blowup with her at the archery range last week?”

  Deanna narrowed her eyes. “I don’t like where this is going.”

  “Feel free to tell us we’re wrong,” I said.

  Deanna opened her mouth.

  I finished my thought. “Just don’t lie to us.”

  “I know what you’re thinking. That Allison and I had a disagreement, then I killed her,” Deanna said.

  “From what we heard, it was more than just a disagreement. According to John Brady, things got very heated between you and Allison,” I said.

  “Given that, you can’t really blame us for thinking the worst,” David replied.

  “Yes, I can. Because it’s not true,” Deanna said.

  David folded his arms. “Ms. McMillan, you are not exactly the first person to tell us that today.”

  “I can’t speak for anyone else. Just myself. But I’m telling you, I had nothing to do with her death,” Deanna said.

  “She didn’t just die,” David said. “She was murdered.”

  Deanna threw out her arms. “All the more reason to leave me alone. I didn’t even know she was dead, much less murdered. So you can save yourself the hassle of going any further.”

  “I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” David replied.

  Deanna snarled. “Look. I didn’t kill her, and I’m insulted that you would think otherwise.”

  “Ms. McMillan, why don’t you just calm down a minute? I didn’t say that you killed Allison,” David replied.

  “Detective, I’m not stupid. Why else would you be here unless you suspected me?” Deanna asked.

  “We’re just gathering as much information as we can,” David said.

  “Are you telling me that I’m not a suspect?” Deanna asked.

  “Look. It’s my job to investigate Allison’s murder. I wouldn’t be doing my due diligence if I didn’t talk to you,” David said.

  Deanna put her hands on her hips. “Fine. Talk all you want. But I have nothing to say to you.”

  “That’s not a very wise decision,” David said.

  “That’s what you say,” Deanna replied.

  David shook his head. “No. It’s the truth. After all, if you refuse to answer our questions, we’ll have no choice but to assume the worst.”

  “You can assume anything you want. The truth is that I didn’t kill Allison,” Deanna said.

  I stepped forward. “You know, there’s one easy way to prove that.”

  She squinted at me. “How?”

  “By telling us where you were between eight and nine o’clock this morning,” I said.

  “I was reading the paper,” Deanna replied.

  “Is there anyone who can verify that?” David asked.

  “I was alone, if that’s what you’re asking,” Deanna replied. “But I can tell you about all the articles that I read. Go ahead, pick my brain.”

  “Ms. McMillan, being able to recite newspaper headlines is not the same as having an alibi,” David said.

  “Maybe not in your mind, but it’s the truth,” Deanna replied.

  “According to you,” David said. “The problem is, since you were alone, I have no way of verifying your story.”
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  Deanna groaned. “Look, you asked me a question and I gave you an answer. It’s not my fault if you don’t believe me.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to cross you off my list of suspects. But you are a skilled archer, you got into a fight with the victim a week before her murder, and you have no one to corroborate your whereabouts for the time of her murder. Given that, I can’t help but suspect you,” David replied.

  “Go ahead. Suspect me all you want. I know you don’t have any proof that I’m guilty,” Deanna said.

  “How can you be so sure?” David asked.

  “Because if you did, you’d be dragging me away in handcuffs right now,” Deanna said. “Since you aren’t, I’m done talking to you.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Few things were more frustrating during the course of a murder investigation than a savvy suspect. Deanna McMillan didn’t just know her rights. She was also keenly aware of David’s limits as a detective when he wasn’t in possession of any hard evidence.

  David and I hoped that the next suspect on our list wouldn’t give us such a hard time about answering a few simple questions. Neither of us were about to hold our breath.

  We headed over to Treasure Cove Lanes, a bowling alley on the north side of town where Kaitlin Gordon worked. After Jake Williamson had purchased the place from Clancy McTaggart a few months back, a number of renovations had been done to modernize the business.

  But I was unprepared for the frenetic, nightclub-like environment that awaited. There were strobe lights, glow-in-the-dark paint on the walls, red velvet booths, and bombastic music blasting over the speakers.

  It was a far cry from the simple bowling alley that I had gone to as a child. A sense of nostalgia rushed over me when I recalled those happy times. I couldn’t imagine bowling in an environment like this. I could barely hear myself think.

  I was glad when David convinced Kaitlin to take a break to speak with us outside the bowling alley. I couldn’t imagine conducting an interview with all those distractions going on in the background.

  The angst-heavy, hormonal, curvy eighteen-year-old had acne all over her round face as she listened to David tell her news about Allison’s death. David was very careful with his words. He told Kaitlin that Allison had been murdered, but he did not reveal to her when the crime had occurred or the fact that an arrow had been used to kill her.

  A tear streaked down Kaitlin’s cheek as David finished speaking. At first glance, she seemed legitimately remorseful. But given Kaitlin’s conflict-heavy history with her stepmother, I couldn’t help but question if her emotions were genuine or just an act.

  “You’ll have to excuse me. I need some time alone,” Kaitlin said.

  “I’m afraid I can’t let you leave yet,” David replied.

  Kaitlin’s eyebrows knitted. “Why not?”

  “Because there are some questions that we need to ask you,” David replied.

  “Right now?” Kaitlin said.

  David nodded. “Unfortunately.”

  Kaitlin’s nose crinkled. “I don’t get it. I mean, shouldn’t you be out finding my stepmother’s killer?”

  “That’s actually why we’re here,” David said.

  Her eyes widened. “Wait a minute. You don’t think I could have had something to do with it, do you?” Kaitlin replied.

  “I didn’t say that,” David replied.

  “Good. So why don’t you go talk to Peter Skelton? Or Tyler O’Connell?” Kaitlin said.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll get to them both. But right now we have some questions for you,” David said.

  “I just don’t understand why. What could you possibly want from me?” Kaitlin asked.

  “We’re just looking to gather some information. That’s all,” David said.

  Kaitlin grimaced. “Do we have to do this now? This news about my stepmother is a really big shock to my system. I’m not really in the mood to talk.”

  “I understand that you’re going through a very difficult time right now. And I assure you that we wouldn’t be here unless it was important. But we’ll make our questions very brief,” David said.

  Kaitlin groaned. “All right. What do you want to know?”

  “To start, where were you this morning between eight and nine o’clock?” David asked.

  “I was getting ready for work,” Kaitlin replied.

  “At your apartment?”

  She nodded.

  “Was there anyone with you, or were you alone?”

  “I was by myself,” Kaitlin replied.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” David said.

  Kaitlin scrunched her nose. “Why?”

  “Because if there was no one with you, then there’s really no way of proving that you were there.”

  Kaitlin shook her head. “No. That’s not true.”

  David bit his lip. “How do you figure?”

  Kaitlin pulled out her phone and loaded her social media page. “I posted a couple of things to my newsfeed this morning while I was getting ready.”

  “Ms. Gordon, that doesn’t mean that you were at home this morning,” David replied.

  “Sure it does. Look at that picture. I took it in my bathroom. Now look when it was posted—eight-thirty this morning. What more do you want?” Kaitlin asked.

  “Something conclusive would be nice. You know just as well as I do that you could have taken this photo some other day. Besides, with a smart phone, you can post to social media from anywhere,” David said.

  Kaitlin shrugged. “Why would I do that?”

  “To make it seem like you were at home when maybe you were somewhere else entirely,” David replied.

  Kaitlin’s eyes lit up. “Now wait a minute. I don’t like where you’re going with this.”

  “Trust me. I don’t like to have to ask you these questions, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t. Especially given the history that you have with your stepmother,” David said.

  Kaitlin shot him a glare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “We know about the argument that you had with Allison at the archery range last week,” David said.

  “Look. That was just a misunderstanding,” Kaitlin replied.

  “Not according to John Brady, it wasn’t. He told us that he threw you and Allison out because you were making such a scene,” David said.

  “So what, you think I could have actually killed my stepmother?” Kaitlin asked.

  “I didn’t say that,” David replied.

  “That wasn’t a ‘no,’” Kaitlin replied.

  “Like I told you before, we’re just gathering information,” David said.

  “Well you can stop right there because I didn’t do anything,” Kaitlin replied.

  Up until that point, I was content to let David handle all the questioning. But since the interview seemed to be going off the rails, I stepped in to try to right the ship.

  “I know what it’s like to grow up in a broken family,” I said.

  “Don’t act like you know what’s going on in my life,” Kaitlin snapped.

  “It’s not an act. It’s the truth. I have been a child of divorce. I know how tough it is to see your parents separate. I have felt that desperation of wanting my parents to get back together,” I said.

  “You may be desperate, but I’m not,” Kaitlin replied.

  I didn’t let her throw my focus off. “That’s not all. I also know it’s not easy seeing one of your parents marrying someone new.”

  Kaitlin narrowed her eyes. “It’s not as hard as you seem to think it is.”

  “I find that difficult to believe. Especially since you got into a big fight with your stepmother just a week ago,” I said.

  “I don’t care what you believe.” Kaitlin took a few steps back toward the bowling alley.

  David squinted. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “I really should be getting back to work,” Kaitlin said.

  David shook his head. “Not so fa
st. You can’t run away from this.”

  “Besides, innocent people have no reason to run,” I added.

  “I am innocent,” Kaitlin said. “I already told you. I had nothing to do with Allison’s death.”

  “I have my doubts. After all, you have no alibi and a rocky history with the victim. That does not make for a good combination,” David replied.

  “It also doesn’t make me guilty,” Kaitlin said.

  “True. But it does make it hard to believe you are innocent,” David said.

  “So are you going to arrest me? Because unless you have some proof that I did anything wrong, I don’t have anything else to say to you,” Kaitlin replied.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It was an abrupt way to end an interview. At the same time, there was no hard evidence pointing to Kaitlin being guilty. Given that, David had little choice but to let her return to work.

  After our frustrating conversation with Kaitlin, David and I headed over to Treasure Cove Hunting and Fishing, a big retail store on the south side of town. We were there to speak with one of Allison’s coworkers, Tyler O’Connell, but I had a hunch that talking to the owner of the shop first would prove beneficial to us.

  I was right. Our conversation with Joshua Kingston was brief but highly insightful. From there, the next order of business was to speak with Tyler.

  In my mind, it was important to switch things up a little. Instead of David and me going right after Tyler, I convinced David to take a different route.

  I would approach Tyler alone in the store and pretend to be just a regular customer. David, meanwhile, would hang back and await my signal.

  Tyler was standing in front of a rack of camping supplies with a clipboard in his hand when I approached him.

  The tall, muscular, square-jawed thirty-nine-year-old had a mustache, a thinning head of black hair, and was drenched in arrogance. I was curious to see if I could use his ego against him.

  “Hi there. I was wondering if you could point me to Allison Gordon,” I said.

  Tyler grimaced. “I’m afraid she’s not in right now.”

  “That’s a shame. I guess I’ll come back later,” I said.

  Tyler held his hand out. “No wait. What do you need? I’ll bet that I can help you.”