Raspberry Mojito Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 20 (6 page)

Heather arranged the Raspberry Mojito
Donuts in a row on the tray, then placed her fists on her hips. “What do you
think?”

“They’re amazing, my love,” Ryan said.
“Everyone will love them.”

“I hope they do,” Heather replied,
“because we’re going to have to make hundreds of them for the grand opening,
and they’re not the simplest donut I’ve ever created.”

Ryan’s finger twiddled at his sides.
“May I have one?”

Heather pecked him on the cheek. “Help
yourself.”

Ryan didn’t ask twice. He grabbed a
donut and bit into it, then groaned. “Yeah, these are the best you’ve ever
made. How is that possible?”

“It’s the filling. I’ve noticed people
like donuts with fillings. Remember the Choc Revolution donuts? They sell out
every day. It’s the element of surprise.” She said and waggled her fingers in
mid-air.

“You’ve mastered it,” Ryan said, then
took another bite of his donut.

“Speaking of the element of surprise,
guess who I saw today?” Heather asked.

Ryan gestured to his full mouth, then
shrugged his question.

“Geoff Lawless. Yeah, he was rifling
through a box of Jeremy Hill’s Diaper Pops. Except, the box was on Peter’s
front porch.”

Ryan swallowed. “Peter ordered the
diapers to support his son’s business.”

“You see? That’s why I love you. We’re
so on the same level,” Heather said, then pointed to her forehead and at her
husband’s.

Ryan chewed for a while and let the
silence stretch between them. Questions danced through the space, unanswered
mysteries that needed solving.

“I’m stumped,” Heather said. “I’ve
tried going over the evidence in my mind, but maybe I’m missing something.”

Ryan coughed into his fist, then
shoved the rest of the donut into his mouth. He brushed off his palms on a
kitchen towel.

“Can we go over the evidence?” Heather
asked.

“Of course,” Ryan replied. He walked
to the kitchen table, then sat down in one of the chairs. “Quick Paul was a
shady businessman. The other leads I followed had alibis or were out of town at
the time of the murder.”

“So that leaves Jeremy and Katie,”
Heather said.

“Yeah. And the evidence indicates that
Quick Paul was drugged before the building was set on fire. Possibly, a friend
or an associate.”

“Yeah,” Heather said and dragged her
teeth across her bottom lip. “A friend. Did Quick Paul have any close friends?”

“None that I could find.” Ryan leaned
his elbow on the table and eyed the rest of the donuts on the tray.

“Katie was furious with Quick Paul and
lied about meeting with him more than once. She also wouldn’t give me answers
about the photo of them together. She tore it up instead,” Heather replied.

“Not enough evidence to get a warrant
out,” Ryan replied. “Pity. She’s my main suspect. She fits the bill.
Disgruntled homemaker attacks the business partner.”

Heather tapped her chin. “I truly
believe that Quick Paul invested in Jeremy’s business, and when things went
wrong, Katie took offense. But that doesn’t mean she killed the guy. I don’t
see her jeopardizing her relationship with her child.”

“But –”

“I just don’t,” Heather said, firmly.
“I’ve gone with my instincts in the past, and they’ve always led me to the
truth. My instincts tell me no.”

“And your mind?” Ryan asked.

Heather walked to the fridge, pulled
it open, and then brought out a pitcher of lemonade. “My mind. Oh boy. My mind
is just clogged up with thoughts of Lilly and the opening and donuts and the
future.” She placed the pitcher on the counter, then rested her palms either
side of it. “I need to focus on the case, but this is, ugh, it feels like a
weight on the back of my mind rather than at the front of it.”

“You need a vacation,” Ryan said.

“I thought that was what this week was
supposed to be,” Heather replied, then chuckled. “And I don’t think I’ll ever
want a vacation from baking or sleuthin’, for that matter. They might be
frustrating, but they’re what I love.”

Ryan rose from his seat and walked to
the cupboard. He brought out two, tall glasses, then walked to his wife and
placed them beside the lemonade. He drew her into his arms and kissed her on
the top of the forehead. “No matter what happens, now or whenever, we’ll figure
this out.”

Heather sank into his arms and allowed
the stress to vanish. “I think I’ll go speak to Katie again. She was stressed
out the last time I was there. There were repo guys taking stuff out of the
house.”

Ryan rubbed her back. “I agree.”

“You know what’s bothering me? Apart
from all the case stuff, and the missing pieces of the puzzle, I mean.”

“What is it?” Ryan pulled back from
the embrace. He poured lemonade into either glass.

“We haven’t heard from Lilly since
Bill and Colleen came to speak to us. She missed her dog training day with
Dave, yesterday, and goodness knows, that freaked him out. He sat at the front
door barking the entire afternoon,” Heather said. “What if –?”

“Give her time,” Ryan replied. “This
is a big decision for her and she needs the space to make it. You know what
that’s like.”

Heather blew out a breath, then
grabbed her glass of lemonade and lifted it to her lips. “I know you’re right,”
she said. “I just can’t stop worrying.”

“Let’s go watch a documentary on
sharks or something,” Ryan replied. “Take your mind off things. You’ve got to
switch off sometime.”

Heather grinned and rested her head on
his shoulder. “You know me too well.”

Heather had come alone.

She pressed the doorbell, and it
chimed within the hall of the Hill house. She held her breath and nodded to
herself. This was her last shot at figuring out why Katie had confronted Quick
Paul.

Hopefully, the woman wouldn’t kick her
out, today.

The lock drew back on the front door,
and Katie’s face appeared in the crack between the frame and wood. “What do you
want?” She asked, but without any venom.

Dark circles ringed her eyes.

“I want to talk, Katie. I’m sorry if I
came off as accusatory the other day. Would you be open to discussing things
with me?” Heather asked.

Katie grasped the bridge of her nose
and pinched. “I guess so,” she said. “Yeah. Just keep your voice down. My boy’s
sleeping.” She opened the door fully, then stepped back.

“Thank you,” Heather said. She walked
into the hall and halted. It was empty. No furniture at all. Pictures hung on
the walls, happy images of the Hill family together. Some of them included
Peter.

Katie shut the door and locked it.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have any place for you to sit, except in the kitchen. We’ve
had some financial troubles of late.”

Heather followed the young woman
through to her kitchen, which was twice the size of Heather’s one at home.

“I, forgive me, Katie, but I’m having
trouble keeping track of your moods. You seem calm one day and furious the
next,” Heather said. She sat down on the small stood in front of the kitchen
island, and balanced her forearms on the countertop.

Katie nodded, then walked to the
opposite counter and opened a draw. “It’s been rough. I’m not handling this
very well,” she said. She rifled through the drawer, then slammed it shut and
opened the one beneath it.

“Handling what very well?”

“Losing all our money because of a
bunch of idiotic diapers,” Katie replied. She moved to the next set of drawers
at the opposite end of the kitchen.

“Is that why you fought with Quick
Paul?”

Katie opened the drawer and bent over
it. “Quick Paul invested some money in my husband’s business. He loaned it to
him, and when Jeremy couldn’t pay it back right away, he started threatening
us.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Heather
replied. Her insides twisted into a knot. This was a solid lead. The first in
this case.

“Yeah, so, of course, Jeremy went and
took out other loans to pay him back. He mortgaged the house. He bankrupted us.
And Quick Paul got his money. Oh, he got it, all right.”

“Is that why you argued with him?”
Heather asked.

“Uh huh.” Katie opened a cupboard
above her head. “Ah,” she said and pulled out a plastic bottle. “Found it.” She
popped a few pills into her palm, then swallowed them. “That’s better.”

“Katie, what are those?” Heather
asked.

“Valium,” she replied. “For my nerves.
Oh relax, it’s not like I drink them all day, just when I’m tired, and I can’t
sleep. Or when I’m feeling stressed. And only when little K is asleep. Times
are tough. I need a break from it all.”

“I’m not judging you, Mrs. Hill.”
Heather pressed her knuckles to her cheeks. She’d gone pale at the sight of the
medication. “A doctor prescribed those for you? For your stress I mean?”
Heather asked. The evidence had just stacked up against Katie Hill, even if she
didn’t realize it yet.

“Oh no,” Katie said, then shook her
head. “Look, don’t tell anyone but Peter gave them to me. My father-in-law?
Yeah, he takes them for pain or exhaustion, I don’t remember what he said.
Something about an illness. He told me they’d help, and they do, so I took
them. No big deal.”

“Peter gave you the valium,” Heather
replied. Warning signals shot down the back of her spine. Peter. “Peter also
bought some Diapers Pops from your son.”

“Yeah, he’s a good guy. He means well.
Always trying to help us out,” Katie said, then stifled a yawn. “I think he
felt guilty.”

“Guilty?”

“Yeah, because he introduced Jeremy to
Quick Paul. Apparently, Peter and Quick Paul go way back. I warned both of them
about it,” Katei replied. “But you know how men can be. Stubborn. Wow, these
things kick in fast.”

“Peter introduced you to Quick Paul.”

Katie laughed out loud. “Yeah. That
sounds like a nursery rhyme.” She wandered through the kitchen and out into the
hall. “Peter and Quick Paul,” she sang, under her breath.

Heather’s mind clicked the pieces
together. She lurched to her feet and whipped her cellphone out of her pocket.

“You got any other questions?” Katie
called out, softly. “I usually nap when little K, does. Kids, you know? They
take it outta ya.”

“No, that will be all. Thank you, Mrs.
Hill. I’ll let myself out,” Heather replied.

She stormed out of the kitchen and
down, the hall. She dialed Ryan’s number and pressed the phone to her ear.

“This is Detective Shepherd.”

“I know who did it,” Heather said and
burst out of the front door and into the sunlight.

“What?”

“Meet me at Peter Hill’s residence, as
soon as you can.” Heather took the stairs two at a time and jogged down the
garden path. “Bring your handcuffs.” She hung up, then sprinted to her car and
unlocked it.

Heather took a second to catch her
breath.

Of all the suspects, she’d never have
guessed that Peter Hill would be the one to take revenge on Quick Paul.

“Maybe my sleuthin’ skills are
fading,” Heather whispered. She laughed and shook her head. Now, was not the
time for self-doubt.

She slid into the seat of her car and
started the engine.

Heather parked her car across the road
from Peter’s house and stared at it between the trees.

The old man himself hobbled around on
the porch. He bent and swept a diaper up, then shook it and shuffled out of
sight.

Heather sighed and knuckled her
forehead. “Why, Peter? You’re such a good guy.” She opened the car door, then
got out and bumped it close with her hip. “But what kind of good guy sets a
building on fire with a live person inside?”

The answer was simple: there weren’t
any good guys who’d do that.

Heather locked her car, then crossed
the street. Her heart beat in time with each step, and her pulse quickened.
Ryan hadn’t arrived yet, but she had her Taser if things got a little rocky.

She opened the front gate and strode
up to the porch.

Peter Hill dropped a diaper into the
box. “Darn, raccoons. Why would they want to –”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Hill,” Heather
said, and stopped below the first step.

Peter jumped, then grunted and turned
to face her. “What’s good about it? Raccoons messed up my front porch.”

“Diapers,” Heather said. “May I ask
why, Mr. Hill?”

Peter wriggled his nose from left to
right. “Because I’m supportive of my son, that’s why. I don’t suppose you’d
understand that, Mrs. Shepherd. I hear you don’t have any kids.”

Heather refrained from grasping her
stomach. Of all the things the old man could’ve said, that one hurt the most.
She didn’t have any kids. Lilly hadn’t called. Colleen hadn’t called.

What on earth had happened? What had
they decided?

No, she had to focus on the here and
now.

“I can understand you’d want to
support your son, Mr. Hill. Wasn’t that why you introduced him to Quick Paul,
in the first place.”

Hill’s eyes widened, and he grasped a
diaper in both hands. “I – what? How did you know that?”

“Your daughter-in-law mentioned it.”

“I told you to stay away from my
family,” he growled.

Heather sighed and readjusted her tote
bag on her shoulder. “I understand why you did it, Mr. Hill. I understand that
you don’t have anyone but them. That you lost your wife.”

Peter opened his mouth and shut it
again.

“Wasn’t there a better way?” Heather
asked.

“Don’t know what you’re talking
about,” Peter replied, but tears sparkled in his gaze. “Don’t know –”

“Peter, you wanted to do the right
thing for your son and your family. Maybe you were afraid for them, or maybe
you just wanted them to be happy.”

“He would’ve moved away,” Peter said,
and his bottom lip trembled. His voice cracked, and he pointed his gnarled
finger at the end of the garden. “Told me that he’d move away if the business
didn’t work out.”

“Did he come to you when Quick Paul
threatened him?” Heather asked.

“Yeah, he told me that Quick Paul knew
men. Dangerous men. I didn’t want him to get hurt. Or little K. Any of them.
They’re my family,” Peter said and hugged the diaper to his chest. “They’re the
only family I’ve got left.”

“So, you tried to do the right thing,”
Heather replied.

Mr. Hill jerked his head up and down.
“They’re my world. And Quick Paul, I knew him from way back, he was dangerous,
Mrs. Shepherd. He would’ve hurt them. He would’ve chased them off or –”

“But Jeremy paid back the money he
owed,” Heather said.

“What?” Peter asked. “No, he couldn’t afford
it.”

Heather closed her right fist around
the straps of her bag. “Katie told me that Jeremy took out a loan to cover the
payment. Quick Paul got the cash.”

Peter blinked several times. He lifted
the diaper and buried his face in it, then blew his nose. “For nothing.” He
dropped the diaper again, then stared at her. “For nothing?”

This was the worst. This old man had
done the wrong thing, but he’d done it to try protect the people he cared about
the most. “Why didn’t you go to the police?” Heather asked.

A car cruised up to the house and
parked outside the gate. Heather glanced back and let out a sigh.

The engine of Ryan’s cruiser cut off,
and he opened his car door. At least, the backup had arrived.

Peter’s gaze shifted from Heather to
the police car. “I thought they wouldn’t believe me. Quick Paul threatened to
hurt them if I did.”

The gate opened, and Ryan strode up
the garden path, his handcuffs jangled on his belt loop. He placed his fists on
his hips and stopped beside his wife. “Mr. Hill,” he said.

“I just wanted to do the right thing.
He wasn’t a good man. He put a lot of folks out of business. He destroyed a lot
of families,” Peter said.

Heather released her grip on her bag
and dropped her arms to her sides. “Mr. Hill, you wanted to do the right thing,
but you went about it the wrong way.”

Birds chirped in the trees in the garden,
and laughter burst from the next door neighbor’s yard. A bunch of kids chased
each other around and shrieked their giggles.

Peter Hill stared at them, then turned
back to Heather and Ryan. “Yeah,” he said.

“Now, you have the chance to do the
right thing again,” Heather whispered. “Will you come, quietly?”

Peter walked down the stairs and
stopped in front of them. “Everybody’s got choices in life. Man, I messed up
more than I can count on both hands and these old feet.” He glanced at the
children next door again, then squeezed his eyes shut. “I won’t make the same
mistakes again.” He extended his wrists toward Ryan.

“Thank you, Mr. Hill,” Heather
replied.

Quick Paul had been a bad man, and Mr.
Hill had been protective, good to his family, but laws were laws, and no one
had the right to take another’s life.

Heather turned her back on the scene
and walked back to her car.