Daisy McDare And The Deadly Real Estate Affair (Cozy Mystery) (Daisy McDare Cozy Creek Mystery Book 4)
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“Those are all good points. Despite all his bumbling in the past, maybe he managed to stumble onto a kernel of truth this time. It’s hard to deny that the number of dead bodies that keep popping up around me,” Daisy explained.
“That’s just a series of coincidences,” Samantha said.
“Is it? At what point does it become a disturbing trend? At some point, I’d be the fool if I didn’t wonder why trouble has such an easy time finding me. After all, I’m a decorator, not a detective,” Daisy replied.
“Eek. This conversation calls for double fudge,” Granny Annie insisted.
“I’m being serious. This isn’t something another cupcake can solve,” Daisy said.
“First of all, a cupcake can make any situation better. Second, you need to look at the upside here,” Granny Annie replied.
Daisy was confused. “People keep getting killed around me. What possible upside is there?”
“You could start by counting your blessings that you haven’t been one of the victims,” Granny Annie explained.
“That’s something to be happy about for sure,” Samantha added.
“There’s more. The sad fact is, people die. It’s inevitable as being given a fruitcake at the holidays. Maybe the reason those dead bodies keep popping up around you instead of someone else is because you have a knack for solving cases instead of bungling them,” Granny Annie said.
“Yeah. Can you imagine if our only shot at justice being served in this town was left in the hands of Chris Crumple?” Samantha said.
Granny Annie clutched her chest. “Are you trying to give me nightmares? There were be cold cases abound, a number of innocent people wrongly imprisoned, and a slew of killers still on the loose.”
“That vision is so depressing, I need a red velvet cupcake to wipe it from my memory,” Samantha said.
“My taste buds are with you on that one,” Daisy admitted.
“See, I knew you’d come around to another cupcake,” Samantha said.
“Back to the point. Thanks to your spot-on sleuthing, we can all sleep safely knowing the right suspects are behind bars. We’re all brought into this world with special skills. Mine is coming up with mouth-watering recipes. Yours happens to be solving murders. You have to admit, you have a knack for it,” Granny Annie explained.
Daisy flashed a slight smile. “I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. I’m Granny Annie.”
“Still, I really just want to be a decorator,” Daisy admitted.
“I want to go on a Caribbean cruise with the cover model from the latest romance novel I’m reading, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” Granny Annie explained.
“I think our comparisons are a little different,” Daisy said.
“Not really. You see, we can’t all get what we want. We just have to be happy with what we have. For me that means having the ability to bake circles around people. For you, that means having the innate ability to find a murderer,” Granny Annie replied.
“That may be true, but with this case at least, I’m content to do my decorating and eat my cupcakes,” Daisy said.
Granny Annie and Samantha both made very salient points. Daisy was in no mood for reason however. In the back of her mind, she kept reasoning that maybe Chris Crumple would surprise everyone this time. Either way, Daisy wanted no part of this case. All she cared about was tasting the delicious comfort of another cupcake.
***
When Gavin picked Daisy up for their date later, the last thing she wanted to do was talk about the case. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the only thing on his mind. The problem with living in a small town was that word spread fast. It looked like Daisy wouldn’t be able to avoid the subject of the murder very long.
Then Gavin opened his mouth and threw her for a complete loop. “You must have had a doozy of a day. If there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know.”
Wow. And here she thought he was going to ask her a zillion questions about the murder case. Maybe not. How refreshing.
Daisy was so thrown off that she didn’t know quite what to say. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Oh—ok. Well thanks.”
“Of course. I just want you to know I’m here for you,” Gavin continued.
Daisy smiled. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that.”
“Would you expect anything else from me?”
“Actually, I was bracing myself for all the questions about the murder I thought you’d pepper me with.”
Apparently that was nowhere near his mind.
“I figure you’ve dealt with that enough today. You probably can’t wait for a break from it,” Gavin said.
Daisy couldn’t believe her ears. She’d been loathing having to talk about the murder again. At the same time, she figured there was no way to avoid the subject. Now it looked like she’d be in the clear. That took a huge weight off her shoulders.
“It’s like you read my mind. You know me better than I thought,” Daisy admitted.
“The more time a couple spends together, the better they are to read each other’s moods,” Gavin said.
Gavin mentioned that like it was a known fact about all relationships. Daisy wished that was the case. In her experience, it wasn’t. Maybe it was a sign of why her other relationships failed, but none of her ex-boyfriends were ever able to read her mood before. Perhaps this was just another sign of why her relationship with Gavin was not only different, but meant to work out.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” Gavin continued.
“Why don’t you tell me about your day?” Daisy suggested.
That should be interesting. After all, Gavin was a private investigator. He also had tons of interesting stories, not to mention some that were downright crazy.
Gavin didn’t seem particularly keen on talking about work however. “Actually, I was thinking we could do something better than talking.”
Daisy’s face tensed up. Usually when Gavin said something like that, romance was on his mind. Normally that suited Daisy just fine.
At that moment however, romance was the last thing she wanted to think about. A make out session would do her no favors. Even though Daisy was feeling anything but romantic, she didn’t want Gavin to be put off either.
She answered with caution in her voice. “Really? What do you have in mind?”
“I thought maybe I could take you to a romantic comedy,” Gavin revealed.
Talk about being thrown for a loop. What a delightful surprise. Suddenly her tension melted away. That idea tickled her fancy.
“Are you serious?” Daisy asked.
“Of course.”
Romantic comedies always made her feel better. There was something magical about knowing a happy ending awaited. Between that, chocolate, and being with Gavin, it was the perfect recipe to bring a smile back to Daisy’s face.
As exciting as the idea was, Daisy also had her reservations. Even though Gavin made the suggestion, he’d also been pretty vocal about his dislike for romantic comedies. Daisy had to take that into account. As much as Daisy wanted to cheer up, she also didn’t want her boyfriend to have a bad time.
“That’s two in one week,” Daisy reasoned.
“So?”
“So I know how you feel about chick flicks.”
“How I feel about you is more important. I don’t like seeing you in this funk. I want you to be happy. What will do that better than a romantic comedy and some chocolate from the concession stand?” Gavin asked.
Daisy couldn’t help but smile after that response. “You really know the way to my heart.”
“Isn’t that the point of being in a relationship?”
“Absolutely. Thank you for being so good to me,” Daisy said.
“Of course. There’s nothing better than a happy girlfriend, and there’s nothing worse than an unhappy one,” Gavin explained.
“Look at you, waxing philosophical,” Daisy joked.
“Very funny.”
“Hey, anything to bring a smile back to your face.”
Daisy couldn’t argue with that logic, nor the promise of chocolate to come.
Chapter Twelve
The date with Gavin went a long way to cheer Daisy up. Then again, that was usually the case. Their relationship had a way of bringing a smile to her face.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. Drama awaited Daisy the next morning. She had already anticipated a hiccup or two at Majestic Estates, given that there was a murder investigation going on.
What she had no way of predicting was the disturbing phone call she got from her mother. Daisy could tell there was trouble the minute she heard the tone of her mother’s voice. The real shock was just how bad the news was.
Patrick Potter had been arrested for the murder of Scott Stinson.
Daisy was speechless. She couldn’t believe it. Something seriously fishy was going on. She stared into Patrick’s eyes the day before and saw nothing but innocence. Daisy was convinced he was telling the truth. Had she been wrong? She had to find out for herself.
Unfortunately, there was no way of her avoiding getting involved with the case now. Suddenly she found herself taking a detour away from Majestic Estates. She turned around and headed to the Cozy Creek police department to get to the bottom of things.
When Daisy arrived, she was not greeted with welcoming smile. Detective Crumple in particular seemed less than thrilled to see her. He had no problem making his displeasure known.
“What are you doing here?” Detective Crumple asked.
Daisy wasn’t going to let Crumple or anyone at the department brush her off. She had some serious questions that needed answering.
“I can’t believe you arrested Patrick Potter,” Daisy said.
“I don’t care what you believe. Solving this case is all that matters, and that’s exactly what I’ve done,” Detective Crumple replied.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t ask for your opinion—or interference. This is official police business.”
Daisy didn’t back down. With each word Crumple uttered, he was finding new ways to get on her bad side.
“What evidence do you have to arrest Patrick?” Daisy asked.
Detective Crumple stood his ground as well. “Weren’t you listening to me? This is none of your business.”
“The minute you arrested a friend of my family’s, you made it my business.”
Detective Crumple looked like he wanted to tear his hair out. He knew how persistent Daisy was, and that there was no easy way to make her leave. That was the problem.
Finally, Crumple caved and gave her a little tidbit to chew on.
“We found the murder weapon, and your friend’s finger prints were found on the rope used to strangle Scott Stinson. Is that good enough for you?” Detective Crumple replied.
No. That didn’t seem right. Something was missing. Daisy knew there had to be more to the story than that. She had to find out what it was.
“I want to talk to Patrick,” Daisy demanded.
“That’s not going to change anything,” Detective Crumple warned.
“Prisoners are entitled to visitors. You know that, and I know that. Now let me see Patrick,” Daisy pressed.
Detective Crumple grimaced. He couldn’t believe how relentless Daisy was. There was no quit in Daisy’s eyes however.
She knew her rights. Detective Crumple finally resigned himself to giving in.
He sighed. “Fine.”
***
As Daisy was escorted by a deputy to the jail cell where Patrick was being held, so many things were racing through her head. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness. After all, despite her best efforts, she’d become embroiled in the middle of another murder investigation.
Even more, she was convinced that an innocent man had been arrested. How could this have happened? Especially since the case was only a day old. It seemed way too early to just wrap things up so quickly. How could the police be so certain of Patrick’s guilt?
Patrick immediately got up from the bed in his jail cell when he saw Daisy.
“It’s so good to see you,” Patrick sighed.
There was one thing Daisy felt she needed to get off her mind immediately. “You were telling me the truth yesterday, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I’m telling you, the police got the wrong person. I didn’t kill Scott Stinson,” Patrick declared.
Daisy gave him a good, hard look. She had to make sure her instincts hadn’t betrayed her. She was happy with what she saw. Patrick was telling the truth. Her gut was sure of it.
“I believe you,” Daisy said.
That left one huge question mark. If Patrick was telling the truth, how could the finger prints on the rope be explained?
“Good. Now you just have to convince the police of that,” Patrick said.
“That’s going to be hard. The detective said they found your finger prints on the rope used to strangle Scott.”
“I was a foreman. My finger prints are on everything at that construction site. I used that rope every day on the job,” Patrick reasoned.
“That does not help your case at all. With your finger prints on the murder weapon, the police have all they need to keep you locked up,” Daisy said.
“Even though I didn’t do it? I’m being framed here. Wouldn’t the real killer’s finger prints be on the rope too?”
“Not if they were wearing gloves.”
“Seriously? You have to be kidding me.”
“I’m afraid I’m dead serious. The killer probably knew your prints would be on the rope. That’s most likely why they chose to stage the murder at the construction site. The fact that you had a huge blow up with Scott the same day he was killed helped the killer frame you even more,” Daisy explained.
Patrick started pacing around his jail cell, frantic. “I can’t believe this is happening. What am I supposed to do now? I can’t spend the rest of my life in jail for a crime I didn’t commit.”
“I’m going to do everything I can to get you out of this, but you have to help me first,” Daisy said.
“How?”
“You need to tell me as much as you can about the Majestic Estates office staff. For example, do you know anyone who would want to frame you and also had a reason to want Scott Stinson dead too?”
Patrick searched his head. It wasn’t long before he came up with someone.
“Adam Stinson,” Patrick answered.
Scott Stinson’s eldest son? Hmm. This should be interesting.
“Really?” Daisy asked.
“Oh yeah. He still feels burned about his father not promoting him to general manager. Adam gave everything he had to the company. For fifteen years, he poured his sweat and long hours into getting that promotion. Then his father decided to promote his younger brother instead,” Patrick explained.
“There’s a motive for you.”
“There’s nothing like resentment to make someone do crazy things.”
“True. But why would Adam want to frame you for the murder?” Daisy wondered.
“Madison Mitchell,” Patrick revealed.
“The receptionist? Was does she have to do with you?”
“A lot more than you think. You see, me and Madison used to be a couple. We were so hot and heavy. I thought she could be ‘the one.’ Then things blew up in my face about six months ago. When Madison saw that Adam had taken an interest in her, she left me for him. I knew it wasn’t out of love. She figured she could sleep her way to the top. After all, for the longest time, Adam seemed to be a shoe-in for that promotion. When Scott Stinson chose Owen instead of Adam however, Madison realized she was only sleeping her way to the middle,” Patrick explained.
“Yikes. This is like a soap oper
a,” Daisy commented.
“There’s more.”
“Of course. You can never have too many twists and turns in a soap opera.”
“A few weeks ago, Madison came back to me saying she still loved me. So we started seeing each other again on the sly,” Patrick revealed.
The more the plot thickened, the more it made Daisy grimace. “Oh Patrick. Seriously?”
“I know. It started out as a moment of weakness, but the fact is, we still have great chemistry. Besides, I never stopped loving Madison. So when she told me she still had feelings for me, I couldn’t help myself. I’ve been trying to convince her to leave Adam and only be with me ever since then,” Patrick admitted.
Daisy sighed.
“Adam must have caught wind of me and Madison sleeping together and figured I was the perfect person to frame for the murder,” Patrick said.
Daisy shook her head. “This is a real mess. That’s a lot for me to have to clean up.”
“I know. I’m not pretending like I’m a perfect person. Clearly I’m anything but. Still, I’m not a murderer,” Patrick pleaded.
“Alright. I have some serious work to do. Hold tight,” Daisy said.
“I don’t really have a choice with that,” Patrick replied, holding onto the bars of his cell.
“Sorry. That was a bad choice of words. Don’t worry though, I’m going to find the real killer,” Daisy declared.
***
Daisy had her hands full if she was going to prove Patrick Potter’s innocence. Unfortunately, the only hard evidence out there was the rope itself, which framed Patrick for the crime perfectly. That left getting a confession as the only option.
Daisy didn’t like being in such a bind, but she knew she had to find the real killer. She couldn’t let Patrick just rot in jail while the real murderer remained free. This time, Daisy was going to be completely on her own however. She was going to get no help from the police.
As a matter of fact, Detective Crumple was anxious to close the books on this case. He saw Daisy as nothing more than an unwanted intrusion.