A Suspicion of Strawberries (Scents of Murder Book 1)

by Lynette Sowell

  Seth entered with three other men, and he wore standard county-issue jail clothes. He was not handcuffed, but trudged into the room, his head down. I saw a light go on in his eyes when he sat down across from me at the table. I followed instructions to keep my hands on the table.

  “Miss Clark.” He showed me an inkling of a smile. “You came.”

  “Of course I did. We could have talked on the phone, though.”

  A flush shot through his cheeks. “Probably, but I needed to talk to you in person.”

  “About what?”

  “I–I’m the one who broke into your store.” The words shot out with rapid-fire delivery. “The other guys had nothing to do with it. It was just me.”

  “Why are you telling me this now?”

  Seth shrugged. “I couldn’t go to church and look you in the eye, knowing what I did.”

  “Did you talk to your parents about this?”

  Another shrug. “Dad’s got his own family in Jackson now. Mom’s working. I know she cares, but…” He blinked and stared at the table as he spoke.

  “Why didn’t you say something before?”

  “I couldn’t.” His voice sounded flat.

  “Why? What are you afraid of?”

  “I was only holding up my end of the deal.”

  “What deal?” I clamped my lips together, realizing I’d started to sound like an inquisitor. Let the kid talk.

  “Brandon and Marcus and me only planned to get into one store, Giant Games. Supposedly there was plenty of cash in the office. Marcus said one of the managers owed him some money for a game he returned, but the guy wouldn’t give him a refund. So they said we would just break in, get Marcus his money, or at least a game he wanted, and we’d go.”

  Seth paused and glanced around the room, but none of the other visitors and incarcerated individuals seemed to pay us any mind. “So that’s what you did.”

  “But once wasn’t enough. And they said once I was in with them, I couldn’t get out, that we were all in this together.” Seth’s flush deepened. “Um, plus, it was kinda cool to have some money for a change, if you know what I mean.”

  I nodded at that. “I’ve been in tough financial straits before. I’m there now. But Seth, why? And those other business owners—their places were trashed.”

  “I know, I know.” Seth picked at something on the tabletop. “Brandon and Marcus started getting back at some people who gave ’em a hard time. I didn’t think it was funny.”

  “But back to my store.” My heart went out to the young man. “You didn’t wreck the place.”

  “Like I said, I did this alone.” He swallowed hard, and he finally looked me in the eye. “Miss Clark, I really messed up. Bad. I didn’t plan on things going this far. For all I know, my mom’s glad I’m in jail.”

  A niggling inside told me now was my chance. “Seth, your life can be different. It’s not too late even now.”

  He shook his head. “I tried that church stuff. It didn’t help. And some of those kids aren’t any different than the ones I hang out with.”

  “I’m not talking about church attendance, or going to all the activities, or doing good deeds instead of bad. I mean, God has a destiny for you. There’s no one else like you.”

  The sounds of the visitors’ murmuring voices were swallowed up by my pulse pounding in my ears. I didn’t feel adequate for this. Maybe this was the youth pastor’s job, but Seth hadn’t called him. He’d reached out to me. Wasn’t this what the Sunday school class had prayed for?

  “I don’t know. I don’t really want to be a preacher or anything like that.”

  “You don’t have to preach. But I know for sure God has something special for you to do.”

  Seth shrugged. “I’ve got a record now. My lawyer says I’m looking at real jail time. A few years, at least. Maybe it’s not that long to you, but my life should just be starting.”

  “It is just starting. You can start fresh. Now. Ask Jesus to forgive you, and you can start living for Him now, even if you’re in jail. No matter what lies ahead, God will be there to guide and protect you.”

  “Why do you care? I heard you were only teaching the class at church for the summer.”

  “God made you, Seth, and so I care. I’m not the only one who does. Your Sunday school class cares, too. We prayed for you on Sunday.”

  “That’s just great. Now everyone really knows what a loser I am.”

  “You can begin again. God loves you.”

  “I wish I could be sure about that.”

  “Start talking to Him, Seth. I know they’ll get you a Bible or something here.”

  “I…I think I’ll do that. I don’t have much else to do.”

  My watch told me I only had a few minutes left. “About the store…maybe I could talk to your lawyer or something. I think you need another chance, Seth. And I think you need some new friends.”

  “I don’t know if talking to my lawyer would help. You’re right about the friends thing. Marcus and Brandon already got bailed out. I’m getting what I deserve, though.”

  “Why did you break into my store…alone? If they didn’t get you to break into my store, why’d you do it yourself?”

  “I…I didn’t do it myself. Someone made me break in.”

  A knot twisted itself in my throat. “Who?”

  “My cousin. Melinda Thacker.”

  I tried to inhale but couldn’t. Pay dirt. All the signs kept pointing. I’d just found the right direction.

  “She saw me and Brandon and Marcus breaking into some store late one night a couple of months ago. She said she’d turn us in if I didn’t help her. So I had to help her. Alone.” Now a pair of tears dampened Seth’s cheeks, and he looked like a lost little boy. I let him continue.

  “Melinda said all I had to do was break in and make it look like a robbery. She stayed in the back room while I went up front to get the money from the register. At the time, I didn’t get why Melinda said she had to come with me to the store that night. But then when I heard about Charla…” He gulped and rubbed his eyes. “I went back and wrote Killer on the window. I was mad and sick and…I didn’t know what to do… .”

  I didn’t have children, but I did have two nephews I’d do just about anything for, and my heart broke for the young man sitting across from me. “Oh, Seth.” But I stayed frozen where I was, my hands on the table and a guard standing by the door, watching all of us.

  “But who would believe me if I told them? I didn’t want to get caught, so…”

  “You said nothing.” My stomach churned. I’d skipped breakfast and now regretted it. “I wish you’d talked to me.”

  “I tried. That day I asked about a job.” He wiped his eyes, and I pretended not to notice.

  “Except Melinda showed up.”

  Seth nodded. “So I beat it, and I knew she wondered if I said something to you about the breakin.”

  “Did you tell your lawyer?”

  “He’s one of those public-defender guys. He doesn’t care. He gets paid whether he wins or not. And the DA? He’ll probably say I’m trying to get the charges lowered by making up a story.”

  “Seth, I believe you.” I looked him straight in the eye. “I don’t know if it helps you to know this, but I believe Melinda intended to kill Charla, and she used you to help her carry it out.”

  “Thanks, Miss Clark.” He wiped his rapidly blinking eyes as the guard approached.

  “Time’s up, Mitchell.”

  I stood, hoping Seth would glance my way again.

  “Remember…I believe you, Seth. If I can help you, I will.”

  With that, he nodded, and the guard walked him to the cellblock door. I left the visitors’ room, my knees trembling. Once the receptionist at the front window pointed me to the ladies’ room, I went inside to get my bearings.

  Besides getting confirmation about Melinda, I also had confirmation about myself. Sure, I’d talked a good talk to Seth back there, about trusting God with his life. “
No matter what lies ahead, God will be there to guide and protect you.”

  I’d parroted the words but didn’t live them out. Especially with Ben. I could have said the same words to myself, that no matter what lay ahead, God would guide Ben and me and protect us. I felt like a fraud.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I tried not to break any speeding laws after leaving the county jail and heading back to Greenburg. Jerry would want to know what Seth told me. He should have enough proof to at least question Melinda. My pulse pounded. Until now, I hadn’t been one-hundred percent sure Melinda had been behind the whole scenario, but I realized Seth had nothing more to lose.

  My heart leaped when my Jeep rounded the corner to Ben’s driveway, and I saw his tractor rig. What was he doing home already? I decided to waylay Jerry before seeing Ben and parked behind him.

  As I crunched across the gravel driveway to the side door, my thoughts took a different turn. What if I were making an assumption? What if Seth had concocted the whole story to get his charges reduced?

  Stop it. I increased my pace and banged on the screen door. Jerry was probably kicked back watching the Braves play, if I guessed right. He didn’t get many afternoons off, but if the Braves were playing, he sure tried to. Footsteps approached from the front of the house, along with the roar of a crowd from the television.

  Jerry came into view through the kitchen. “Andi, what brings you here? Ben’s out right now. I think he was planning to call you about coming for supper.”

  “I wasn’t expecting him to be home—actually I came to see you.” At his quizzical expression, I continued. “I visited Seth Mitchell at the county lockup today. He called and asked me to come.”

  “That kid was in a lot of trouble while he was in school.” Jerry shook his head. “A shame no one got through to him before he got arrested. With multiple counts of breaking and entering, he could be seeing some real jail time.”

  I nodded. “And that’s why I’m here. He was the one who broke into my store.”

  “Do you know this for sure, or are you assuming?”

  “Seth told me. He did it because Melinda Thacker blackmailed him.”

  Jerry held up one hand as if to push my words back at me. “Wait. That’s a strong allegation. Why?”

  As I explained, his features grew more thoughtful, his brow furrowed. I paused, hoping he’d give me a shred of hope that he believed Seth’s story. I know I did.

  “Interesting,” was all he said at first.

  “I think it’s more than interesting. It explains why my store was broken into. Explains why Seth freaked and practically ran from the store a couple of weeks ago when he stopped by and Melinda showed up. And it explains how Melinda gained access to my scrub. If she had Seth break in for her, she could have access to the scrub without the dirty work of trying to break in herself.” I wanted to cheer.

  “All right, I’ll put in a call to the DA.”

  “Can you question Melinda?” I detested the pleading sound in my voice. Not like I wanted her to be a murderer, but I wanted to be right for once.

  Jerry rubbed his forehead and leaned on the doorframe. “I’ve got to be really careful about who I question, when, how, and why. If Melinda’s guilty, I wouldn’t want to jeopardize any case against her by questioning without evidence. The Thackers have pull around here, and I wouldn’t put it past them to start trouble. Which is why I talk to the DA, get a statement from Seth, and go from there.”

  “Thanks, Jerry.” I attempted an appreciative smile. So he wasn’t doing cartwheels over what I learned. But at least he was talking to the DA.

  “Anytime, Andi.” He nodded.

  “I’ll see ya.” I turned to head down the steps.

  The man needed someone to fuss over him and cook for him. I wondered if he felt on the outside looking in, seeing me and Ben together. Guys like Jerry lived their jobs, running a small-town police force, living out the adage of being overworked and underpaid. I almost regretted disturbing his ball game.

  A familiar-sounding pickup truck roared into the driveway. Ben pulled up behind Jerry’s vehicle. “Hey there! Have you eaten yet? I’m going to fry up some Bongo burgers.”

  I shook my head. “I’m famished.” After the trip back and forth from the county jail, it was long past lunchtime, and heading straight for supper. The day’s events had caught up with me. Seth’s confession, the confirmation of my suspicions, and the idea that Ben had been avoiding me clamored for attention in my head.

  Ben gave me a hug on the doorstep. Had I imagined his avoidance for the past week or so? I also wondered why he was home again.

  “You’re home so soon.”

  “I got halfway to Cleveland and got called back. I have to head to Jackson first thing in the morning.” Ben grinned. “C’mon in. Got some iced tea made, unless Jerry drank it all.”

  I followed him into the house and filled him in on what was going on with Seth, and about Melinda. “But I still feel like I need to get that evidence, at least get some answers for myself.”

  Ben filled a glass with tea, set it on the table, and pushed the sugar in my direction. “Let Jerry do his job.” He turned to take a plate of burgers from the fridge and got a frying pan oiled up and waiting for the burgers.

  My stomach growled. “What if they won’t listen to Seth? It’s going to be his word against hers, and right now with the position he’s in, I don’t think they’ll take him very seriously. And then we’ll be right back where we started.”

  “Didn’t Jerry say he’d help?” Ben placed the seasoned burgers on the frying pan. The surface sizzled and popped. “Oh yeah, smell that already.”

  “He did say that, but matters are out of Jerry’s hands.”

  “Then they’re out of your hands, too.”

  I bit my lip, took a sip of tea, and decided against telling him about the food dehydrator. For now. “I see what you mean.”

  “Do me—do us a favor. Let it go for tonight.”

  My earlier twinges of unease started to disappear. “I missed you.”

  “I’ve been gone longer than this before.” When he turned to face me, his expression remained passive.

  “I know, but I couldn’t reach you. Is something wrong with your phone?”

  When he didn’t respond at first, I started to wonder if I’d been right about him avoiding me. My unease reared up once again. What if Ben was hiding something? This reminded me of my earlier thoughts, the words I’d spoken to Seth about trusting God.

  “I’m here now.” He took the ketchup and mustard out of the fridge. “And I’m sorry I didn’t get your calls.”

  “I’m glad you’re here.” I sipped my tea and tried not to concentrate on his last cryptic statement but instead on what I’d learned that afternoon. “I have a confession to make.”

  “Oh?”

  “Talking to Seth today made me realize how much I still have to learn about trusting God, especially with the future. Our future.” My throat constricted.

  Ben settled onto the chair across from me and took my hand. “I have a lot to learn, too.”

  “But you’re so sure of yourself.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t you think there are times I’ve been out on the road and wondered if I’d come home and find you’d lost interest in me? Or times I wonder if I’m making a mistake in coming home off the road for good?”

  “I hadn’t thought about that.” How could I be so clueless and only think about my own feelings? “Ben, I’m sorry. There’s never been anyone but you. Even while you were gone. And I do support you in your decision, even though the unknown can be scary.”

  “Oh, Ands.” He caressed my cheek. “I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. I was saying I’ve not always been sure about everything, either. But I believe in God’s guidance. And I believe in us.”

  “I do, too.” My stomach growled, and we both chuckled.

  “When did you last eat?”

  “Um, last night?” I watched him pull some
plates from the shelf.

  “See, that’s your problem. You need to make time to eat.” Ben stacked burgers on a plate. “Grab the fixings, and we can eat in the living room. I rented a movie. Jerry’s crashed in the den watching the game, so we’ll be out of each other’s way. He’ll follow the smell of the food if he’s hungry.”

  “Ooh, a movie!” I picked up the plate of sliced tomatoes and onions and found the chips. “What’d you get?”

  “Alfred Hitchcock. Rear Window.”

  “I haven’t seen that in ages.” His thoughtful gesture warmed me. Usually he picked something a tad more action packed. Okay, a lot more action packed. But I love older suspense movies, and Rear Window is one of my favorites. This was a good sign. Ben’s mysterious mood had vanished.

  As nightfall approached, Ben and I settled onto his lumpy love seat once he’d popped the DVD into the player. The more I watched, the faster the wheels in my head turned. A suspicion of murder. Jimmy Stewart’s and Grace Kelly’s characters trying to figure out what happened to the man’s wife across the way.

  What made me sit up and really take notice was how they called Lars Thorwald’s bluff. Although I’d seen the movie more than a dozen times, I hadn’t thought of the correlation between my situation and theirs. My pulse quickened when I saw Lisa Fremont and her boyfriend write the note to the villain that said, “What have you done with her?”

  If I were to find the connection between Melinda and the food dehydrator, I’d have to find a way to draw her out, to see if she still had it.

  After I refilled my iced tea glass in the kitchen, I sat next to Ben again. “You know, I’ve noticed a similarity between the movie and what’s going on with Melinda. I’m not going to break into her apartment, but I am going to see if I can call her out.”

  “So what are you going to do? Write her a note?” Ben gestured to the television screen as Lisa ran across the courtyard to Lars Thorwald’s apartment and slid the envelope under the door.

  “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” I set my glass on the coffee table. “Do you have any notepaper or a legal pad or something? And a marker.”