by K. M. Morgan
“No, that’s not right. I think you’re remembering things wrong.”
“Oh no. I remember it as clear as day.”
“Yeah. I’m going to get back to work now,” Ellie insisted.
“Suit yourself. Although I’m pretty sure the police would be interested in hearing about something like that.”
Ellie’s whole body tensed up. “Police?”
Daisy nodded. “That seems like very peculiar behavior to be exhibiting the morning before Scott’s murder took place.”
Daisy could see the panic in Ellie’s eyes. Now Daisy was finally getting somewhere.
Unfortunately, it was at that moment when some of the office staff started filing into the lobby. Unfortunately, it appeared that everyone was finally back from break.
Dagnabbit.
It was hard for Daisy to really press a suspect for information with a crowd around. Conversely, having employees move through the lobby gave Ellie an easy exit. Not to mention she knew Daisy wasn’t going to chase her. Given that, Ellie left the break room and headed back to her desk.
Daisy sighed. She was so close once again. Yet suddenly Daisy was right back where she started. Faced with a crowded office, Daisy figured it would be best to head back to the model home to regroup. Suddenly Daisy now had more to chew on than a box of sticky salt water taffy.
Chapter Nineteen
Daisy figured she’d have plenty of time to think as she continued to decorate in the model home. Much to her surprise, an unexpected visitor was waiting for her when she entered the living room of the model home. It was Owen Stinson, Scott’s youngest son, and the new president of the company. He didn’t look happy.
Daisy was startled when she saw him. “Owen, what are you doing here?”
Owen got right down to business. “How’s the decorating coming?”
So much for small talk. Unfortunately, that was the question Daisy had been loathing. The truth was, with all the investigating she was doing, Daisy hadn’t done a whole lot of decorating lately. She was behind schedule.
Daisy also found herself in an uncomfortable situation. She had planned on talking to Owen about his father’s murder, but she wanted to do it on her own terms. Instead she was the one on the defensive.
After all, she couldn’t afford to get thrown off this job. That would make the investigation infinitely harder. Of all the people in the office, Owen was the only one with the authority to fire her.
Daisy had to approach this conversation with a light touch, yet somehow find a way to get information out of Owen.
But first she had some explaining to do. “Pretty good,” Daisy answered.
Owen disagreed. “Oh really? Because it seems like you’ve spent more time snooping around today than decorating.”
Uh oh. Who told him? Was it his brother Adam? The receptionist? His mother? Either way, Daisy’s investigation clearly wasn’t as under the radar as she’d hoped.
“That’s not true. I’ve gotten plenty of decorating done,” Daisy insisted.
Owen looked around at the half-decorated living room. “Who do you think you’re fooling?”
“Things just take a while to come together. A lot of decorating is in the design. Trust me, by the end of the day, this room will look much different.”
“I’ll bet it will, because I’m going to see to it that you spend the rest of the day doing nothing else. My staff has a lot of work to do. I don’t want you interrupting them anymore, understand?” Owen asked.
Although it wasn’t so much of a question as a demand.
“Yes,” Daisy answered.
“Good. Now I have some work to get back to.” Owen then headed for the door.
“Wait a minute. There’s something I want to tell you first.”
Owen reluctantly stopped and turned around. “What is it?”
“I’m really sorry about what happened to your father. It must be really hard for you to be at work right now.”
“Actually, I don’t mind being at work. It keeps my mind off what happened. Besides, there’s a business to run here,” Owen explained.
“By the way, congratulations on the promotion. I know your brother was really hoping he’d get to be the next president of the company. He might even kill for a promotion like that,” Daisy said.
“That’s an interesting choice of words, given the circumstances.”
“I guess it is.”
“Thank you for your condolences. I really do need to be getting back to work though, and so do you,” Owen insisted.
Owen then left the model home and headed back to the sales office, leaving Daisy with nothing but work and her thoughts to wrestle with. Luckily, Daisy had packed some chocolate in her purse to get her through both.
Chapter Twenty
The end of the day couldn’t come soon enough for Daisy. Sure she was getting paid to decorate, but arranging accent pieces in the model home wasn’t going to get her any closer to finding Scott Stinson’s killer. At the same time, Owen made it all too clear that Daisy was to do nothing other than focus on décor.
What a horrible time it was for her to hit a dead end in her investigation. It was an awful feeling knowing she’d questioned everyone, yet hadn’t been able to eliminate even one suspect yet. Unfortunately, she couldn’t afford to feel stifled, not with Patrick Potter still in jail. The fact was, Daisy was his only hope of being exonerated.
Even though her back was against the wall, she had to work through it. The clock was ticking. She kept imagining what Patrick was going through, just sitting alone in a cold jail cell, knowing he’d been wrongfully imprisoned. Daisy felt queasy just thinking about it. She knew she had to do something. All she needed was one break.
The question became, what was the right approach to take going forward? Sometimes diving in headfirst produced the best results. Other times, taking a step back from a situation let things come into clearer focus. Daisy wasn’t sure which to employ here.
***
As Gavin picked her up for their date, Daisy couldn’t have been happier to see him. She had given him the names of all the possible suspects that morning in hopes that he could dig up some information on them. Maybe he’d found a new clue. At the least, he could provide her with some much-needed comfort.
“You look like you could use a cupcake,” Gavin said.
“True, but when isn’t that the case?” Daisy replied.
“Good point. So, do you want a cupcake then?” Gavin continued.
“Actually, what I really want is for the day to come when I become a decorator again, instead of a detective.”
“I guess I don’t have to ask you how your day went then.”
“How good can a day really go when one of my father’s friends is in jail?”
“Should I not talk to you about the case then?”
Daisy was noncommittal. Her mind seemed to be tying itself into knots. “I guess…maybe. Perhaps it would be best if we talked about something light, like cute animal videos or chick flicks.”
Gavin sounded deflated. “Oh, ok.”
Daisy could sense the disappointment in his tone. As much as Daisy wanted to give her mind a break from the case, it looked like Gavin didn’t.
“Unless you have something to share. Did you find anything out about the suspects?”
“Now that you mention it, I have some pretty juicy news.”
“Really? How juicy?” Daisy asked.
“Juicier than fresh squeezed orange juice—with plenty of pulp to spare,” Gavin revealed.
Daisy’s eyes opened wide. “In that case, I’m all ears then. Let’s hear it.”
As Gavin revealed the news to Daisy, she realized he wasn’t kidding. With his private investigative work, Gavin had dug up a revelation that would blow this case wide open. Suddenly Daisy was chomping at the bit to get to the office in the morning.
The killer had no idea what was coming. That gave Daisy a huge advantage. Now she didn’t need a cupcake to cheer her up. Of co
urse, she would take one anyway. After all, there was no reason to turn down a perfectly good pastry.
Chapter Twenty-One
Daisy made her way into the sales office the next morning and headed right to Ellie Edelson’s desk. Scott’s assistant had always managed to fade into the background, to remain unassuming. That’s probably just how she liked things. Now, thanks to the news Gavin had dug up, Ellie was about to take center stage in Daisy’s investigation.
“Ellie, just the woman I want to talk to,” Daisy said.
Ellie seemed confused as she looked up from the pile of papers on her desk. “What for?”
“Don’t play dumb with me Ellie Edelson. Or should I call you Ellie Stinson?” Daisy asked.
Ellie tensed up. She went pale as can be.
“That’s right. I know your secret,” Daisy continued.
Ellie was in disbelief. She played dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ellie, stop playing games. You may have fooled the people in this office, but I know you are Scott Stinson’s long-lost daughter,” Daisy revealed.
Ellie started stammering. She began to panic. Her eyes opened wide. “This can’t be happening. How did you find out?”
“It’s amazing the things that get uncovered when your boyfriend is a private investigator.”
Ellie averted eye contact.
Daisy had her on the ropes. She couldn’t afford to let up. Now was the time to put the pedal to the metal.
“What do you want from me?” Ellie asked.
“The truth. Patrick Potter is in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, and I’m not stopping until I find the real killer,” Daisy said.
“I didn’t do it,” Ellie declared.
“Oh really?”
Ellie shook her head. “You have to believe me.”
“Why? You sure had plenty of motive. I’ll bet the police would be interested to hear what I’ve learned. That twenty-five years ago, Scott Stinson had an affair with his then secretary Jane Edelson, your mother, which resulted in an unexpected pregnancy. Do you want to fill in the blanks, or should we let the police do it?” Daisy asked.
“Alright, I’ll admit it. I’m Scott Stinson’s secret daughter. But that doesn’t mean I killed him,” Ellie pleaded.
“Oh really? Scott’s long-lost daughter working as his secretary, smiling every time something bad happens in his life. That has motive written all over it,” Daisy pressed.
“For the last time, I didn’t kill him,” Ellie declared.
“Good luck explaining that to a jury,” Daisy said.
Ellie looked as scared as can be. She panicked, then found herself spilling her guts. “Look--I was blackmailing him. Alright?”
“What?”
“Twenty-five years ago, when Scott found out he’d gotten my mother pregnant, he didn’t want her anywhere near the office. He paid my mom some hush money to disappear, so she moved to Kamloops to start a new life. Growing up without a father was tough for me though. As I got older, I wanted to know who my dad really was. Finally, a little over a year ago, my mother told me. After I found out my father was Scott Stinson, I moved to Cozy Creek and came here looking for a job. I waited until I was working here for a few months, then I told Scott who I really was. He wasn’t happy to hear that to say the least. He told me to leave—to go back to Kamloops and never return. But I knew his secret,” Ellie explained.
“And you blackmailed him with it. Like mother, like daughter,” Daisy said.
“He gave me some hush money, but I had bigger plans. I didn’t come here just for money. I wanted to ruin his life. I never got to though. Someone else ended up getting to him first,” Ellie replied.
“Do you really expect me to believe that?” Daisy asked.
“Look into my eyes. I didn’t do it,” Ellie declared.
Daisy hated to admit it, but as she looked into Ellie’s eyes, she could tell she was telling the truth. Ellie had the motive and intent to kill Scott Stinson, but it appeared someone actually did get to him first.
The question then became, who?
Ellie meanwhile kept rambling. “It would have been great to be the one to kill Scott though. The man was a total scumbag. He treated everyone like dirt. Not to mention he ruined my mother’s life. She never got over him turning his back on her, abandoning her, trying to shut her up with hush money. Do you know what it’s like seeing your mother silently suffer her whole life, while being completely powerless to stop it?”
Daisy didn’t personally know what that was like, but her mind suddenly turned to someone else who worked in the sales office who was all too familiar with that sentiment. The more Daisy lingered on Ellie’s last sentence, the more things started to come together in her head.
Yes. Of course. That was it. Things started to make sense. It was as if a light bulb had gone off in Daisy’s head. Suddenly it was clear who the killer was.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sometimes Daisy tried to ease her way into a line of questioning. Other times, it was best to go in like a sledgehammer and take no prisoners.
Daisy burst into Owen Stinson’s office with purpose in her eyes. Scott Stinson’s youngest son did not appreciate her brusk approach.
“Owen Stinson, you have a lot of explaining to do,” Daisy said.
Owen looked up from the work on his desk with annoyance all over his face.
“What do you think you’re doing, just barging in here? You’re supposed to be decorating,” Owen replied.
“There will be plenty of time for that later. Right now, there is the matter of catching your father’s killer to attend to first,” Daisy replied.
Owen was short with her. He was clearly in no mood to be having this conversation. “The police arrested the killer—Patrick Potter.”
Daisy pressed on. “That’s what you want the police to think, but we both know that’s not true.”
Owen glared at her. “What are you talking about?”
“Come on Owen, who do you think you’re fooling? I know you killed your father.”
Owen was tired of being patient. His face lit up with anger. “You can’t talk to me this way. I run this company—and you’re fired. Now get out of my office.”
Daisy didn’t back down. Without realizing it, Owen had just played right into her hand.
“Wow. You sure have your father’s temper. To be fair, you have a lot to be angry with your father about. There was of course the work-related issues. It must have really burned you that he refused to retire. That he gave you the title of general manager, but didn’t trust you to manage anything. That he didn’t listen to your advice on how to improve the company. Of course, that bitterness only scratched the surface, didn’t it? What got under your skin more than anything else was how your father treated your mother,” Daisy explained.
“I told you to get out of my office,” Owen barked.
Daisy held her ground and stayed on point. “Everyone in this office knows what a mama’s boy you are. So when you found out your father was cheating on your mother with Carly Canton, it must have sent you into a rage. If that wasn’t enough, your father didn’t even feel bad about the affair. The man only cared about himself. So when you heard him threaten to fight your mother tooth and nail in divorce court, it was the last straw. You weren’t going to let him get away with that. You were going to make him pay for the way he betrayed your dear mother and broke her heart. That’s when you decided to kill him.”
Owen looked ready to blow his top. “Stop it. I’m warning you.”
“With your father dead, your mother would inherit everything. Not to mention she’d never have to look at his cheating face again. And you knew she would pick you to take over. Patrick Potter’s firing that morning just made it easier to cover things up. Patrick was the perfect person to frame for the crime, wasn’t he?” Daisy pressed.
Owen was seething. There was no bottling up his rage anymore. He was ready to lash out. “You just had to poke your hea
d in where it didn’t belong, didn’t you? Well now you’re going to pay.”
Owen rushed towards Daisy, looking like he was about to strangle her with his bare hands.
Just then, Detective Crumple and two of his police deputies emerged in the doorway with their guns drawn.
“Stop right there,” Detective Crumple demanded.
Owen looked at the detective and the police deputies and realized he’d been caught. He put his hands down and let out a huge groan before spilling his guts.
Owen was spewing with anger. “My father was a cold, awful man. A ruthless business man, distant father, and a lousy husband. All he cared about was making money. Nothing else mattered to him—not my brother, not me, and certainly not my mother. She gave him nothing but love—we all did, but the only person he ever loved was himself. He thought he knew better than us. He thought he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it. He thought he was the center of the universe. I showed him once and for all. He deserved what he got. All the money he worked so hard to make is now going to my mother. So yeah, I did it. I’m not sorry about it either, just like he wasn’t sorry about betraying my mother.”
“I’ll bet you’ll be sorry when you spend enough time behind bars,” Daisy said.
“I’ve heard enough. Boys, take him away,” Detective Crumple said.
Two police deputies then handcuffed the killer and dragged him out of the sales office.
***
Detective Crumple and Daisy were left to discuss the case. Daisy in particular was not looking forward to this. Detective Crumple had reacted quite poorly to being shown up in the past. That wasn’t likely to change this time around.
Still, whether Detective Crumple liked it or not, Daisy had made him look like a fool. He’d arrested the wrong man once again, leaving Daisy to clean up his mess. So much for the new, competent Chris Crumple. Instead the bumbling detective of yore had reappeared with a vengeance.