Bad Bites: Donut Mystery #16 (The Donut Mysteries) (3 page)

“If it’s what you truly want, then I am overjoyed about the news.
 
I just don’t want you to do it for the
wrong reasons.”

“Even if one of them is to be closer to you?” he asked me softly.

I felt myself melt a little, but I had to stay strong.
 
“Even then.
 
Not that I don’t love the idea of you
being around more, but I know how much your job means to you, how much it
defines you.”

“You mean even more to me, though,” he said.
 
“Trust me; I don’t want to end up like
Chester, dying on the day that he retired.
 
Think about how much he missed out on.”

“Hang on a second, Jake.
 
You’ve got a problem,” I said with a frown.

“You mean besides the sudden loss of income that I’m about to face?
 
Don’t worry.
 
I’ve saved my nickels and dimes over the
years, so you won’t have to support me before I find something else.”

“You know that you are more than welcome to stay with me and eat at my
table for as long as you want to, but that’s not what I’m talking about.
 
If you’re not a state police inspector
anymore, how are you going to have the authority to investigate
anything
?”

Jake frowned as he considered the ramifications of his recent action.
 
“To be honest with you, I hadn’t really thought
about that.”

“Give me a second.
 
I can make
this all work out,” I said.

I hurried down the steps and found George Morris blocking the door.
 
“Mayor, I need you upstairs for a second,”
I said.

“I’m happy to help, but what do I do about them?”

I looked around and saw several folks milling about, all of them looking
expectantly toward the door waiting for the guest of honor to appear.
 
It was sheer luck that I saw a police
officer I knew well just walking in with his date, who just happened to be my
best friend, Grace Gauge.
 
She was
also my investigating partner, and I had a feeling that I’d need her assistance
before this was all over, but for now, I needed her date.
 
I waved, and they both headed toward me.
 

Once he was there, I said softly, “Officer Grant, there’s been a murder
upstairs.
 
The victim is the chief’s
brother, Chester.
 
Can you keep
everyone down here until someone gets back to you with further instructions?”

“Mayor?” Officer Grant asked, knowing that I had no authority to make the
request, but that his boss’s boss did.

“Do as she asks, Officer,” George said.

“Yes, sir,” he said smartly.
 
I half expected him to salute, but if he felt the urge, he managed to
restrain himself.

“Suzanne, do you need me for anything?” Grace asked.

“Not at the moment, but don’t go anywhere,” I said as George and I made
our way upstairs.

“Don’t worry.
 
You know me; I’m
not going anywhere,” she said.

We found Jake standing by the front door, looking as though what he’d
done so rashly had finally started to sink in.
 
I’d briefed George about the situation,
and the moment he saw Jake, he took over.
 
“Inspector Bishop, the town of April Springs would like to hire you as
its Interim Police Chief.
 
I understand
that you’re looking for work.
 
Are
you interested in the position?”

“I’ll do it on two conditions,” Jake said carefully after a moment.

“I’m sure that we can accommodate your requests,” George said, slightly taken
aback by Jake’s tone of voice.
 
“What are they?”

“I want it perfectly clear from the very start that this position is only
temporary, no matter what might happen.
 
Once this case is over, I’m relinquishing the post.”

It was an odd demand, especially since we already had a full-time chief
of police, but George nodded anyway.
 
“Understood.
 
What’s your
second condition?”

“I won’t wear a uniform.
 
I’ll
carry a badge and a gun, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go.”

“I don’t see a problem with that, either,” the mayor responded.

“Then I accept your offer,” Jake said as he shook George’s hand.

Momma and the chief must have been listening at the top of the steps,
because they walked down and joined us.
 
“The whole job is yours forever if you want it,” Chief Martin said
grimly.
 
“I’m done.
 
Seeing my brother cut down like that on
the day of his retirement is more than a man should have to deal with.
 
I won’t risk another day on this job if
I don’t have to, and fortunately, I don’t have to.”

Momma patted his shoulder.
 
“There’s no reason why you should, Phillip.
 
You’ve served this town well.
 
Now it’s someone else’s turn.”

“Just as long as it’s not mine,” Jake said.
 
“I’ll hang around until you can find
somebody else on a permanent basis, but you’re not the only one retiring from
police work.
 
I just quit, myself.”

“Jake, are you certain about that decision?” my mother asked him
carefully.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” he said confidently.

“Then congratulations are in order.”

Jake smiled for a moment before it disappeared.
 
“Thanks, but I want everyone to remember
that I’m just here long enough to catch one killer.”

“That’s all that matters to me,” the chief said, and then, to my
surprise, he handed Jake his badge.
 
“Find whoever killed my brother, Jake.”

“That’s what I intend to do,” my boyfriend said as he slid the badge into
his front pocket.

A thought suddenly occurred to me.
 
“Has anyone told Shelly?
 
Shouldn’t she have been here by now?”

“She knows what happened,” Momma said.
 
“The poor woman was a wreck when I told
her a few moments after she got here.
 
Luckily a friend was here with her for the party, so she could take her
home.
 
I’m just glad that she’s got
someone to stay with her.”

“The mayor asked Officer Grant to keep everyone downstairs,” I reported
to Jake.
 
“He’s down there awaiting
further orders.”

“Good, because he’s going to get them,” Jake said as he started for the
steps.

“Do you need any backup down there?” George asked him, a question that I
had been about to ask myself.

“Not at the moment, but I might need you later,” he said.
 
Jake barely looked at me as he left the
room, and I knew that he was already in full investigative mode.
 
Turning back to the former chief, Jake
said, “Don’t let anyone touch anything upstairs until that scene has been
searched and filmed, and that includes moving the body once they determine for
sure that the victim is dead.
 
Chief,
I know that you’re finished with police work, but I need you for another hour
before you hang it up for good.
 
Can
you do that for me?”

“For my brother I can,” the chief said.
 
“I’ve got a full crime-scene kit in the trunk
of my car, so I can do it myself,” Chief Martin said, and then he left for the
parking lot.

“Is that wise, Jake?” Momma asked him after her new husband was gone.

“Don’t worry.
 
I’ll have
someone else handle the actual evidence gathering.
 
Getting the kit will at least give him
something to do.”
 
Jake turned to
the mayor as he asked, “Can you get someone else over here to take care of that?”

“I can, and I will,” George said.

“Good.
 
Now if you’ll all excuse
me, I’ve got work to do,” Jake said as he left us as well.

Now it was just down to Momma and me.

“You’re going to look into this murder yourself, aren’t you, Suzanne?” my
mother asked me softly, even though we were now alone.

“Why do you want to know?
 
Are
you volunteering to lend me a hand?”

“No, that was a one-time experience for me,” she said.
 
Momma had indeed been a great help in an
earlier investigation, but she’d also expressed to me just how much she’d never
wanted to do it again.
 
“I’m sure
that Grace would be delighted to assist you.”

“She’s already offered her services,” I said, “but I’m sure that Jake can
handle this without either one of us.”

“Perhaps, but I’m just as certain that he could still use your help.
 
After all, no one knows April Springs
better than you do.”

“Unless maybe it’s you,” I said.

“As I said, I’m not interested, but even if I were, I’m not sure that I
agree with you anymore.
 
Your donut
shop gives you a reach into the community that I’ve always lacked.
 
Use every resource you have to find this
killer, Suzanne.
 
My husband needs
the peace that only that will bring.”

“Grace and I will do our best to lend a hand, but only if Jake approves,”
I said.
 
It was, in the end, all
that I could promise her, no matter how much I wanted to please her.
 
I wasn’t about to tromp all over my
boyfriend’s investigation if he didn’t want me meddling in it.
 
Then again, I’d provided a few valuable
bits of information in the past, and I was hoping that I could do it again with
this case.

“See to it that he does, then,” Momma said sternly.

“All I can do is ask him.”

“You can do a great deal more than that, and we both know it.”

“Okay then, I’ll ask him strongly,” I said with a slight grin.

“That’s my girl,” Momma said as her husband returned.
 
She left me to speak with him in
whispers, and I suddenly felt as though I didn’t belong in the room with them.

I decided that it was time to head downstairs to see how Jake was doing
with his new job and his brand new title, too.

Chapter 3

“People, may I have your attention?” I heard Jake ask from the
stage.
 
Most folks in town knew who
he was, but even if they didn’t, his commanding tone of voice would have gotten
their compliance anyway.
 
Officer
Stephen Grant stood beside him on the platform, lending him more authority as
well.
 
After the folks gathered in
the basement were listening, Jake continued.
 
“I’m afraid that I’ve got some bad news
for you.
 
Our guest of honor,
Chester Martin, was murdered this evening.”

For a split second, the crowd was stunned into silence, but that didn’t
last long.
 
Jake was suddenly
hammered with questions from the audience before he could say another word.
 
If I didn’t know better, I would have
sworn that there were at least a hundred people gathered there based on how
loud they were being.
 
It reminded
me of the time I’d foolhardily volunteered at the elementary school during
their lunch hour.
 
After I left
there, I had a headache for three days that no pain reliever in the world could
touch from the constant din those kids could produce.

“Everybody needs to quiet down,” Officer Grant said, and to my surprise,
they all listened.
 

Jake nodded to him in thanks, and then he continued.
 
“I understand that you all have a great
many questions right now, but I’m afraid that we don’t have many answers, at
least not yet, but we will; you can count on that.”

“Why are you the one telling us and not Chief Martin?” Ray Blake wanted
to know.
 
“After all, he was the
man’s own brother.”
 
Ray ran the
town’s only newspaper, but of more significance to me was that he was my
assistant Emma Blake’s father.
 
Ray
could be a considerable thorn in my side, but Emma loved the man dearly, so I
had to tread lightly whenever I was around him.

“Naturally, the chief has recused himself from the case, given his
relationship with the victim.
 
Mayor
Morris has asked me to step in during the interim to investigate, and I’ve
agreed.”

“What about your job as a state police inspector?” Ray asked.
 
“Have they given you permission to leave
again?”
 
Leave it to Ray to ask that
particular question.

“I’m not responding to any inquiries right now, from the press or anyone
else,” Jake said, icing the newspaperman with his stare.
 
“I’m the one looking for answers, and I
need you all to be patient with me.
 
Officer Grant will be stationed at the door, and he’ll take your names
as you file out the door.
 
If he
doesn’t know you by sight, be prepared to show him some kind of
identification.
 
That’s all for
now.”

That wasn’t the end of it, though.

“How did he die?”

“When exactly did it happen?”

“Do you have any suspects yet?”

The questions continued to ring out, but they might as well have been
whispers in a hurricane for all the impact they had on Jake.
 
I saw him lean forward to say something
to Officer Grant, who then quickly moved into position by the door, his notepad
ready down to take every name.

A few folks, including Ray, didn’t get the hint, and they wouldn’t leave
Jake alone.
 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have more for you at this time,” Jake kept
repeating.

“You can’t ignore the press,” Ray said as he muscled his way closer to
Jake.

“You’re right,” Jake said.
 
“What’s your first question?”

“How exactly was the victim murdered?” Ray asked eagerly.

“No comment,” Jake replied.

“Who found the body?”

“No comment,” Jake repeated.

“What time was the victim discovered?” Ray asked doggedly.

“No comment.
 
Are you sensing
a trend here, Ray?” Jake asked him.

The newspaperman slapped his notebook shut.
 
“I’ll get the answers, if not from you,
then from someone else.”

“Just don’t interfere with my investigation,” Jake said softly, and I
swore that I saw Ray flinch a little.

“Is that a threat, Inspector?”

“It’s Chief, and you should just consider it a bit of friendly advice,”
Jake said.

“We’ll see about that,” Ray replied as he moved over to Officer Grant.

“I don’t think he likes you very much,” I told Jake with a smile as I
approached him.

“Imagine my surprise.
 
I’ll try
to do my best to contain my disappointment,” Jake replied.

“Listen, I know that you’re busy, but do you have a second?
 
I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”

Jake frowned for a moment, and then he said, “Let me guess.
 
Your mother has asked you to investigate
Chester’s murder too, hasn’t she?”

“How could you possibly know that?” I asked him.

“Hey, I’m a former state police inspector, remember?” he asked me with
the hint of a smile.

“Do you mind?
 
I promise that
we’ll stay on the perimeter of your investigation, but there might be things we
can uncover that you might not be able to find out officially.”

Jake frowned again for a full three seconds, and then he finally said, “I
don’t suppose it would do any good to ask you to let me handle this by myself,
would it?”

I took a deep breath, and then I let it out slowly before I spoke
again.
 
“Jake, if you are dead set
against me investigating this, I’ll butt out.
 
You have my word.”
 
It was important for me to please my
mother, but it was even more crucial that I didn’t go against Jake’s wishes
without good cause.

He appeared to consider that for a few more beats, and then he
shrugged.
 
“Why not?
 
After all, it’s true.
 
You know the players around here better
than I do, so you might have some useful insights.
 
Just don’t take any unnecessary chances,
okay?
 
Have you spoken with Grace
about helping you?
 
I’d feel a lot
better about this if she were working alongside you.”

“Grace is always eager to help,” I admitted, “contingent on your
approval, of course.”

“Of course,” he said with a wry grin.
 
“So, do you have any suspects for me
yet?”

“I’ve already given it a little thought, and I can think of two or three
people right off the bat who might have wanted to kill Chester,” I said.

Jake studied me for a moment before he spoke.
 
“Are you serious?
 
Who would want to kill a librarian?”

“More folks than you might imagine.
 
Would you like a rundown of them right now?”

“It might be helpful,” Jake said, and then we both heard a ruckus at the
door where folks were filing past Officer Grant.
 
“Maybe later, okay?
 
I’d better go see what’s going on.”

“Sure thing, Chief,” I said with the hint of a smile.

“Interim Chief,” he corrected me.

“Sorry, but that’s just too clunky for me to say.”

Jake didn’t answer as he hurried over to see what the commotion was
about.
 

I hadn’t seen Grace standing off to one side, but she quickly joined me
as Jake left my side.

“I wonder what that’s all about?” Grace asked me.

“It appears that Vince Dade has a problem with authority,” I said.
 
“Maybe it’s because he’s got to be on
every suspect list that’s being created right now.”

“There was certainly never any love lost between him and Chester while
the man was alive,” Grace said.
 
“How could he possibly think that he’s helping his case right now by
making a scene?”

“I’ve got a hunch that he’s not thinking all that clearly,” I said as I
saw Jake clamp a hand down on Vince’s shoulder.
 
The man winced under the pressure Jake
was applying, and his voice lowered almost immediately.

“Suzanne, you’ve got to hand it to your boyfriend.
 
That’s some good crowd-control skills he
has going on there.”

“Among other things,” I said.
 
“By the way, he’s agreed to let us investigate on the side, if you’re up
for it.
 
What do you say?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

“I don’t know.
 
I thought that
I should,” I said.

“Of course I’m all in.
 
This
has to be hard on your new stepdad.”

“I’m sure that it is,” I said, “but Momma’s the one I’m worried
about.
 
She’s concerned about what
this might do to her husband, so I promised her that we’d do what we could to
help.”

“Where should we get started?” Grace asked.

“Let’s go somewhere quiet and make a list of anyone we can come up with who
might have wanted Chester dead and why.”

“That’s as good a place to start as any.
 
Should we head over to your house to do
it?”

I considered it, but what if Jake came in while we were still
working?
 
I’d promised to share my
thoughts with him, but I suddenly realized that I wasn’t anywhere close to
being ready for that yet.
 
“Can we
do it at your place instead?”

“Of course we can,” Grace said.
 
“Do you need a lift?”

“Thanks, but I drove over here, so my Jeep’s outside,” I said.

“Then I’ll meet you at home—my home, that is.”

I tried to tell Jake where I was going, but he’d pulled Vince over to one
side and was having a solemn talk with him, so I knew better than to interrupt him.
 

After Grace and I nodded to Officer Grant, he told her, “Sorry about all
of this.
 
May I call you later?”

“Hey, duty called.
 
I
understand.
 
Sure, touch base whenever
you get a chance.”

“How’s that going?” I asked Grace as we left him and started outside
together.

“Good, but we’re still taking things slowly.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I said.

“Said the woman who’s been dating a grown man forever without committing
one way or the other,” Grace replied with a smile.

“What can I say?
 
It’s
complicated.”

“It always is, isn’t it?” she asked.
 
“What about that trip to Paris you were going to take together?”

“We still want to go, but Jake hasn’t been able to get the time off,” I
said.

“Well, now that he’s quit, that’s not going to be a problem anymore, is
it?”

I suddenly realized that Grace was right.
 
“After Chester’s killer is found, we’re
going.
 
End of discussion.”

Our conversation ended as we went outside and joined the milling
crowd.
 
Most of the folks who’d come
to celebrate Chester’s retirement were still there, and I suddenly realized
that it might be the perfect time to question a few folks while they were a
little more receptive than they might be later.

“Ladies, isn’t it all just horrific?”
 
Zelda Marks asked as she approached
us.
 
Zelda had been, up until the
moment that he’d been murdered, Chester Martin’s assistant librarian.
 
Upon Chester’s official resignation at
midnight, Zelda was due to take over.
 
This was a perfect resource for our investigation because she knew
Chester better than anyone else in April Springs, including the police chief.

“It’s terrible what happened,” I said sympathetically.
 
“Can you imagine who would want to hurt
Chester?”

Zelda frowned a bit as I asked the question, but she quickly concealed
it.
 
Grace must have caught it, too,
though, based on her next question.
 

“Do you have any thoughts about it, Zelda?” Grace asked her.

“I really couldn’t say,” she said dismissively.

In my most earnest voice, I said, “Everyone knows that you two didn’t
just work together; you were the best of friends.
 
Surely you want to see Chester’s killer
brought to justice as much as anyone else does.”

It looked as though Zelda was about to cry, and for a second I felt sorry
for pushing her, but as unfortunate as the timing of it was, it happened that
way sometimes.
 
Grace started to add
something, but I shook my head slightly, and she picked up on my hint and kept
quiet.
 

After a few moments of silence, Zelda said as she looked around, “I
wouldn’t mind helping you, but it doesn’t feel right talking about it here, so close
to where it happened.”
 
She looked
around at the other folks still gathered together, and I had to wonder if any
of her suspects were still present, and that was the real reason she was being
so reticent to talk to us.

“We don’t have to do it in the parking lot,” Grace said.
 
“Suzanne and I were about to go back to
my place for some coffee.
 
Would you
care to join us?”

I’d wanted to stay and talk to a few other potential sources of
information, but Grace was right.
 
Zelda might be the mother lode, and if we wanted the real scoop on
Chester’s enemies, there was no one better to speak with.

“Well, I
could
use a ride
home,” Zelda said hesitantly.

“I’ll take you myself after we’ve had a cup and our little chat,” Grace
said warmly.
 
“Suzanne, why don’t
you ride in the backseat so Zelda can sit up front with me?”