Jealousy Filled Donuts

by Ginger Bolton

  Brent walked with Jocelyn all the way to the door of her parents’ trailer and stayed there until lights went on, the door opened, and a man and a woman embraced Jocelyn and pulled her inside.

  Brent ushered me to the cruiser’s front seat. He buckled himself into the driver’s seat. “You were in serious danger.” His comment sounded completely non-judgmental.

  “It was lucky that Samantha, Misty, and I had climbed around those cliffs and behind the falls when we were kids. And Jocelyn did, too. She’s a good person to have on your side.”

  “She said you are, too.”

  “Luck,” I said again.

  By the light of the dash and reflected from his headlights, he studied my face for long and uncomfortable seconds. Finally, he pulled out of the driveway beside Jocelyn’s parents’ trailer.

  He stopped beside the weedy campsite where I’d left my car. Keeping his engine and heater running, he shut off his headlights, and then he turned toward me and rubbed a hand through his short light brown hair. “Do you mind going over it again?” he asked.

  “Don’t you need to get back to the office?”

  “Rex has a lot to do before I get there. And a night in a cell won’t hurt Kelsey or Landsdowner. Kelsey, at least, might as well get used to it.”

  I told the entire story again. Every time I mentioned one of the code names that Misty, Samantha, and I had given to trails and the cave behind the falls, he grinned. When I finished, I thanked him for showing up at the falls. “How did you know you should come?”

  “Misty phoned and said she thought you might be in trouble. Considering that you’d left me messages that you were following Landsdowner, I drove here at full speed and met Misty in the falls parking lot. She had a better idea than I did of where you might be. She came with Scott, by the way. Your matchmaking seems to be working.”

  I held both thumbs up. “Yes!”

  “What is it about women and matchmaking?”

  “You’re the detective. Figure it out.”

  “Ha. I’m glad that’s not in my job description. You can go now. I’ll follow you home.”

  “The danger’s over,” I reminded him.

  “I might have to apologize to Dep for keeping you out late.”

  “Good idea. She’ll blame you, not me.” That wasn’t very likely. “Do you mind if I drive the long way through the campground so I can check my parents’ site again?”

  “Drive wherever you like, but I’m warning you. I’ll be right behind you.”

  I threw him a mischievous grin. “Do you have a full tank of gas?”

  “I probably have more than you do.”

  He got out, walked around, and opened the door for me. One hand on my elbow, he accompanied me through the long grass to my car. Usually, my car unlocked when I came near it with the key fob. This time, nothing happened.

  “My key fob got wet,” I muttered. I pulled the fob out of my pocket and tried to free the manual key, which could unlock and start the car. Releasing the manual key from the fob wasn’t easy in the dark, however, and fearing that I’d lose the small key in the weeds was probably making everything more difficult.

  Brent asked, “Do you have a spare fob?”

  “At home.”

  “How about, rather than fussing with the manual key in the dark, I’ll take you home and bring you back tomorrow in daylight after you’re done at Deputy Donut?”

  That sounded easier for me, but maybe not for him. “Won’t you have to work?”

  “Thanks to you, we’ve got this case nearly tied up, and I’ll be free tomorrow evening. I’m way overdue for time off.”

  “Okay, I accept.” I was almost too tired to drive, anyway.

  Brent drove us past my parents’ campsite. Their RV wasn’t there. He took the shortest route back to Fallingbrook. On the way, I told him about my years of avoiding County Road G. “It’s silly, I guess.”

  “Not if that’s how you feel most comfortable.” He reached over and squeezed my hand. “Are you going to avoid Fallingbrook Falls and all of the trails that you, Misty, and Samantha named from now on?”

  “I hadn’t thought about it. Probably not, especially if I go back there soon, in daylight.”

  He let go of my hand. “I have a deal for you. Can you go back there with me tomorrow after you close Deputy Donut? And show me everything you told us about tonight? I need to see them in daylight as part of the investigation.” He turned his head and flashed me a grin before returning his attention to the road. “Besides, now that you’ve told me your formerly secret names for trails, I want to see them.”

  “Sure. So much for you taking the evening off.”

  “I’ll have the evening off after we do all that.”

  It was late when Brent pulled into my driveway. He came with me to the front door. While I was fishing my totally nonelectronic house key out of my pocket, he called, “Dep?”

  “Mew.” The plaintive cry from beyond the door reminded us that although Dep had plenty of food, water, toys, and fresh kitty litter, she’d been abandoned since about six. I opened the door, plunked the backpack down, and scooped her into my arms.

  Brent scratched her under the chin and told her that it was his fault she’d been alone for such a long time. She jumped down and headed toward the kitchen. Maybe she was blaming both of us.

  Brent asked me, “Do you trust me with your phone, key fob, and any other electronics that might have gotten wet? I know a retired forensics guy who fixes things like that.”

  “Of course I trust you.” I gave him a fierce glare and then took the backpack into the kitchen. Brent followed me. I set my backpack on the granite island and pulled out my first-aid kit.

  Brent did a double take. “No wonder you nearly knocked Kelsey out with your backpack.”

  “Actually, it was the donuts.” The wet paper bag tore. Soggy donuts spilled out onto the granite. “Kelsey went to the fireworks armed with donuts. I went to Fallingbrook Falls armed with donuts.”

  “Those things are lethal. Maybe you and Tom should reconsider owning a donut and coffee shop.”

  “Nuh-uh. You’re not going to convince me to go back to working at 911.”

  “I’ve mostly given up on that.”

  “And I’m not going into policing, either.”

  “You’d be good, but I know you don’t want to, so I’ve mostly given up on that, too.”

  He helped me flatten the bills from my wallet on the counter and spread out everything else that might be salvageable. I put the phone and key fob in a plastic bag and gave it to him.

  Dep must have gotten over her little snit. She came along when I accompanied Brent to the front door. I picked her up.

  She gazed at Brent. “Meow.”

  Brent grinned at her. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

  “What?” I asked. “Are you both telling me not to forget the dead bolt?”

  “You got it. I’ll pick you up here at six tomorrow night, Em, unless something happens, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “Take care, you two.”

  It was, apparently, a knuckle-rub night. Brent gave Dep hers first, and then he gave me a light one.

  I stood there mutely staring at the top buttons of his shirt and holding my warm and purring cat.

  Brent let himself out.

  Chapter 40

  “Meow,” Dep said.

  “Sorry he couldn’t stay longer,” I told her. “Lots happened tonight, and I wish I had someone to discuss it with.”

  “Mew?”

  I rubbed my face against her warm, furry neck. “Yes, I can talk to you.” Telling her more about the evening than she probably wanted to hear, I took her upstairs to the laundry cupboard in the hallway outside my bedroom, threw my damp things into the washing machine, and then showered and went to bed. Dep curled up near my feet.

  I was still rehashing the evening—mentally, since I didn’t want to awaken Dep—when the washer stopped. I got out of bed and mov
ed the wet laundry to the dryer. When I crawled underneath the covers again, Dep jumped off the bed. She was capable of walking silently. Instead, she thumped. I might as well have continued regaling her with the evening’s events.

  Punching my pillow and listening to the hardware on my backpack clatter in the dryer, I told myself that in the morning, assuming that neither Jocelyn nor I slept in, I would have someone to talk to about our frightening experiences on and near the trails of Fallingbrook Falls. And later I could discuss it all with Brent while I led him up and down those same trails.

  The next thing I knew, my alarm woke me out of a deep sleep.

  It turned out that I didn’t have to worry about Jocelyn making it to work on time after our late night. She came in shortly after Tom and I did. She apologized for missing two days of work without warning us ahead of time.

  “We’re just glad you’re okay,” I told her.

  The morning was busier than usual with people wanting to chat about Kelsey’s arrest. They had to talk to one another, though, because Jocelyn’s and my memories were still too biting for us to discuss them with customers. Maybe we never would. As far as I knew, no one mentioned Philip Landsdowner, which was just as well. It was fine for Jocelyn to be famous for her gymnastic skills, but not fine for her to be known as the victim of a stalker.

  Jocelyn and I didn’t mind telling Tom about the night before. Whenever we had a spare moment, we filled him in. His empathy made me, at least, feel better. Tom was obviously upset about the danger we’d been in. “I’m glad it worked out,” he said, “but I wish I’d been there.”

  The Knitpickers sat at their usual table and teased the retired men, but no one pulled out newspapers or displayed photos of me glaring at anyone. I didn’t think that Philip Landsdowner would be submitting more of those to the paper soon, if ever.

  Ian came in and handed me another coupon. “Thank you for being on my side.”

  “I believed you. I was sure the police would figure out who was actually guilty, and they did.” I didn’t tell Ian that I’d had a hand in helping catch Taylor’s murderer. Ian ordered a peach jelly–filled donut and the day’s special coffee, a light, fruity roast from Honduras.

  Midway through the afternoon, when Misty and Hooligan were enjoying their break on the patio, my mother phoned. “We’re back! Can you bring your friends to a bonfire tonight? There was a sale on marshmallows at the supermarket.”

  I laughed. “Welcome back. I’ll see who can come.”

  “Everyone you know, please. These marshmallows are threatening to take over the RV.” My mother liked to exaggerate. “I know you’re not a night person, so we’ll start the bonfire before sunset, at eight thirty.”

  “Can I bring anything?”

  “All winter, I thought about that ice cream you got last summer at that new place where they make their own.”

  “Freeze. Okay, I’ll bring some.”

  “Not for the whole crowd tonight, just for Dad and me. Our freezer is packed.” I didn’t have time before she ended the call to ask how much space she had.

  Out on the patio, Misty and Hooligan were standing up, about to leave. I ran outside and invited them to the bonfire. They both said they’d come and they’d bring Samantha and Scott.

  Inside, I asked Tom if he and Cindy could join us at my parents’ marshmallow roast.

  “I don’t see why not,” he said, “but I’ll check to see if anything has come up for tonight since I last talked to Cindy.” He always pronounced Cindy’s name with love in his voice. Alec had been the same when he said my name.

  I turned to Jocelyn. “How about you and your parents?”

  “I don’t think so. I skipped gymnastics the past couple of evenings, so I have to go tonight, and after that, I’m taking Detective Clobar on a tour of where we went last night.” She had a very impish grin. “I’m not taking him across the stepping-stones or into what you call Shower Curtain Grotto.”

  “I’m going to the falls with Brent Fyne after work. I won’t take him down any slippery slopes or behind the falls, either.”

  “He’s nice. Is he your boyfriend?”

  Tom went very still. He wasn’t looking directly at me, but I could tell he wanted to hear my reply.

  I shook my head vigorously. “He was my husband’s—Tom’s son’s—best friend.”

  “He’s a good man,” Tom started.

  “I know, a Fyne man,” I finished for him.

  “Have I made that joke before?” The innocence he put into the question was so fake that Jocelyn and I laughed.

  After we closed for the evening, I told Dep I’d be back for her soon. “You can play in your office a little while longer.”

  Almost running, I hurried to Freeze.

  Mama Freeze was at the counter. “Did you hear what happened?” She didn’t give me a chance to reply. “Kelsey was arrested! For killing Taylor! There are going to be charges for murder and attempted murder, though how they can charge her for attempted murder when she was successful at it I’ll never know.”

  I didn’t tell Mama Freeze that although the actual murder had been on the Fourth of July, the attempts had been much more recent. I also didn’t tell her that the intended victims had been Jocelyn and me. That information would probably come out during Kelsey’s trial, but for now I was happy to remain anonymous. And maybe Kelsey would plead guilty and there would be no trial. I could hope.

  Mama Freeze went on, “You know, I’m not all that surprised. I never did trust that Kelsey. There was something sly about her. Taylor was the best employee here, ever, and Kelsey never seemed to recognize that fact or try harder to be like Taylor. But there you go! Jealousy can do strange things to people. What can I get you?”

  “A pint of dulce de leche and a pint of fudge ripple.” I hoped my parents could cram two pints into their freezer.

  After I paid for the ice cream, I raced back to Deputy Donut and put Dep’s halter and leash on her. She wasn’t keen on walking quickly, and I was afraid that the ice cream would melt or Brent would get to our house before we did. Neither of those things happened. I put the ice cream into my own freezer and then ran upstairs.

  We’d be sitting on the ground at my parents’ campfire. I changed into dark gray pants, a long-sleeved pink shirt, socks, and a dry pair of sneakers.

  As I was tucking my spare key fob into a pocket, the doorbell rang.

  Chapter 41

  Dep helped me let Brent in. His light brown hair was damp as if he’d just taken a shower. He was dressed suitably for an evening in the woods—black pants and a casual gray jacket, which he wore over a white dress shirt. And probably over a shoulder holster. He was even prepared for exploring rocky trails, with hiking boots on his feet. He handed me a box about the size of a cake box but sturdier. “We have time to eat and then tour the falls before it’s too dark to see.”

  The box contained a hot meal, more than enough for two people. There were generous portions of the beautifully seasoned sauerkraut known as kapusta, garlicky kielbasa, and potato-cheddar pierogies topped with caramelized onions and dollops of sour cream. We ate at the kitchen island. I told him about my parents’ invitation.

  “Marshmallows,” he repeated with a slightly dangerous grin. “When I was a kid, I was the best marshmallow toaster on our block.”

  “Being the best marshmallow toaster at one of Dad’s bonfires could be a challenge,” I warned him. “Dad likes big fires.”

  “I’m up for it.” Cutting off another slice of kielbasa, Brent told me, “My friend is certain he can get your fob and phone working again.”

  “Does he like donuts?”

  “Who doesn’t?”

  “He’s going to receive a lot of them.”

  Brent also told me that the investigators had received the results of the fingerprint testing on the smaller Deputy Donut bag, the one that had been found in a trash can near my car and that had contained at least one blue sugar star as well as a slightly melted birthday candle. I kne
w they could soak paper in a chemical called ninhydrin to cause fingerprints to show up in a pretty shade of purple. “There were prints from lots of people,” he told me, “including you and Tom. Kelsey’s fingerprints were over other people’s, but no one else’s fingerprints covered any part of Kelsey’s.”

  “Plus, three police officers—Hooligan, Misty, and you—heard at least part of her telling me why she killed Taylor and that she’d followed me to Fallingbrook Falls because I’d been asking about that bag of donuts and she was afraid I would report her.”

  “We’ve got a good case, largely thanks to you and Jocelyn.”

  I flapped my hand at him. “You would have figured it out on your own, if only from those fingerprints. Her attacks on Jocelyn and me didn’t help her look innocent, though.”

  “They certainly didn’t. She had prepared that skyrocket ahead of time with plans to use it to try to kill Taylor during the fireworks when an extra explosion might not be noticeable. Then, that afternoon, she found the bag of your donuts in Freeze and came up with a method that would disguise her firework and also cause us to focus on who might have had access to those donuts.”

  “That backfired,” I said, “pun intended.”

  He groaned. “It did, again thanks to you for finding out where those donuts ended up.”

  “You should think of opening a donut shop,” I teased. “Working there and talking to people, you’d learn a lot about what’s going on in town.”

  “Right. I should open a donut shop and you should become a police officer.”

  “Or we both should stick to what we love doing.”

  “Touché.”

  “Together, we put people in jail who deserve to be there.”

  Naturally, that comment prompted a reminder that even if I had a theory about a crime, I should not act on it except to tell him or other police officers. He added, “Kelsey should be going to jail for a long time. When Landsdowner was sitting on that boulder in the river and taking pictures of you three in the water, he’d set up his camera the way he does, I mean the way he did, during gymnastics and other sports events. He set the camera to snap pictures continuously, as fast as it could. It’s not a video, but that rapid-fire sequence clearly shows Kelsey pushing Jocelyn’s head under the water. And you helping Jocelyn out of the water.”