Donuts, Delights & Murder

by Susan Gillard

Heather tried to make a joke and said, “Lots of people work two jobs these days.”

  “I don’t believe it,” Mr. Rankle said. “You’re trying to trick me somehow.”

  “We just want to figure out who killed Percy Covens,” said Heather. “And you seem to be the unofficial head of the block. You might have some information that could help us.”

  “That’s true. I am,” he said. “But I know what happened to Covens. You killed him. You and your friends from Montana.”

  “Texas,” said Amy. “His geography is getting way off.”

  “Why would we kill him?” Heather asked.

  “I’m not sure exactly,” said Mr. Rankle. “As some sort of warning to the rest of us? Well, let me warn you: I will not back down. A man I knew and respected was killed, and I will not be quiet about it.”

  “So, you knew Percy Covens well?” asked Heather.

  “We’ve both been on this street for a good long while, and we’ve lived in Key West our whole lives. We’re not people who just popped up here one night,” he grumbled.

  “Did you know that he just got engaged?” asked Amy.

  “That would have broken a lot of hearts,” said Mr. Rankle. “But now it just adds to the tragedy.”

  “Speaking of those broken hearts,” Heather said. “Was there anyone in particular who would have been upset by that news? An angry ex?”

  “I’m not a gossip,” Mr. Rankle said. “But he did have the attention of many young ladies, and he did return the attention. Tourists and locals.”

  “Anyone on the street?” asked Heather.

  “Not that I know of, but it wouldn’t surprise me,” he said.

  “Did Percy Covens ever have trouble with any customers or employees?” Heather asked.

  “Nothing that would get him killed,” said Mr. Rankle. “Every once in a while you’d get a troublesome tourist. They bring trouble with him. Then again, Covens was normally pretty good with people.”

  “It’s a skill,” said Amy, implying the man in front of her lacked it.

  “Can you think of any other reasons why somebody would want to kill him?” asked Heather.

  “You mean why you would want to kill him?” Mr. Rankle rebutted.

  “For the sake of argument, fine,” Heather said. She only just refrained from throwing up her arms in exasperation. “What are some reasons why you think we killed him?”

  “Well,” he said, seriously considering it. “His restaurant is right next door to yours. Maybe you wanted to kill him so that you could expand your shop. You wanted to take his kitchen over too so that you’d have one giant donut shop.”

  “I think the size of my shop is just fine,” said Heather. “Any other reasons?”

  “Maybe you wanted to get rid of some competition,” suggested Mr. Rankle.

  “Competition?” asked Amy.

  “It was another restaurant,” he said, defending his idea. “Maybe you wanted to stop people from eating there. You wanted all the little customers to flock to your place instead of his.”

  “I think fish and donuts are rather different tastes,” said Heather. “I don’t think we’d be in direct competition.”

  Then Mr. Rankle said, “Maybe you killed him just because that’s what people do wherever you’re from in Texas.”

  “Texas,” Amy said. “Oh. Wait. You got it right that time.”

  “I’m right about a lot of things,” he replied.

  “Where were you the morning of the murder?” Heather asked.

  “I was right here in my shop.”

  “Can anyone vouch for that?” she asked.

  “If you can track down the ungrateful little boy and his mother who had to try on every single pair of sandals in the place, then yes.”

  “One last question,” Heather said. “Did you know Percy Covens was back in town?”

  “No. I don’t think he told anyone. But maybe it was something a Private Investigator could have discovered,” he said, giving them a dirty look.

  “Thank you for your time,” Heather said.

  “Thank you for leaving,” he replied.

  Amy rolled her eyes. The two women left the store.

  “I don’t think we changed his mind about us being the murderers,” said Amy.

  “Maybe not,” Heather said. “But he did give us some ideas for potential motives.”

  “Is there any chance he could have done it?” Amy asked. “Please, could he have done it.”

  “It’s possible, but I don’t think it’s likely. Percy Covens seems like one of the few people that Mr. Rankle liked. His leg might also be a problem.”

  “Because of the cane?” asked Amy. “Maybe that works in his favor for guilt. He poisoned the guy because he knew he wouldn’t be able to bash him over the head easily.”

  “But it also means that he’s not especially fast. Remember how he marched off from the street crowd?” said Heather. “He might have done it. But he’d be taking a chance that someone would see him by the restaurant that morning. He would have had difficulty sneaking around.”

  “Maybe he knew that no one would think it was weird to see him on the street. He was just yelling at a cat or something.”

  “Maybe,” said Heather. “But I think we should talk to more of the suspects.”

  “You mean more of the neighbors.”

  13

  Say It Ain’t So?

  “As much as I want it to be Mr. Rankle who did it, I don’t want it to be Bernadette,” said Amy.

  “I know,” Heather agreed.

  "She was the only person who was nice to us," said Amy. "I'd hate for her to end up behinds bars instead of being the only pleasant person on our street."

  “We can’t let our feelings cloud our judgment on a murder case, though. Anyone who took a donut could have left the crumbs at the scene and could be the killer.”

  “She did eat most of it in front of us,” said Amy.

  “We still should talk to her,” Heather said. “Mr. Rankle’s potential motives might hold some water. Her shop is next door to the restaurant. Maybe she wanted to expand her walls and make her shop bigger, but Percy Covens was preventing her.”

  “Then why was she so nice to us? It was some sort of cover?”

  “It’s possible,” said Heather. “Maybe she was nice to us to divert suspicion away from her if she learned I was married to a detective. Or maybe she was being nice because she thought we would be suspicious. Maybe she kept the crumbs to try and frame us.”

  “That would go to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover,” Amy sighed.

  “Then again, maybe she is just a nice person,” said Heather. “We need to determine whether she could have poisoned the coffee.”

  They entered the shop. Bernadette couldn’t wave because her arms were filled with books.

  “Come in,” she said. “It’s good to see you. Give me just a moment. Sorry about this. I’ve got more books than I have room for.”

  Heather and Amy exchanged a look. Bernadette set down her pile and smiled at them.

  “How are you holding up?” Bernadette asked. “I’m sorry about that crowd scene yesterday.”

  “Thank you for standing up for us,” Heather said.

  “No problem. It’s silly for them to think that you had anything to do with it. If you were someone who knew Percy Covens and held a grudge against him, you wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of opening up a donut shop as a front for moving here. And if you really did come here to open a donut shop, then why would you kill a man you just met?”

  “Never met,” said Amy.

  “Proves my point even more,” said Bernadette. “Speaking of donuts, did you happen to bring any today?”

  “I’m afraid not,” said Heather. “I can whip some up later today, but we’ve been busy looking into the murder. Amy and I are both private investigators and felt compelled to help solve this case.”

  “Interesting,” said Bernadette. “I thought you were bakers,
but you’re really a Miss Marple-type.”

  “Though not as old,” Amy countered, happy to recognize one of Bernadette’s literary references.

  “We have to ask everyone,” said Heather. “Where were you the morning that Percy Covens was killed?”

  “I was here,” said Bernadette. “I was actually a little late opening up shop. I overslept. And for no reason. I didn’t have an exciting evening. I was home alone and went to bed.”

  “So, no one could confirm that you were there?” asked Heather.

  “I guess not. Wow, you are good at investigating. I feel nervous now, and I didn’t have anything to do with the murder.”

  “Did you get along with Percy Covens?”

  "I told you that nobody seemed especially glad that I took over a shop on this block when I wasn't a local from the start. But Percy wasn't mean. I got lunch there sometimes."

  “We heard he was a bit of a ladies’ man,” said Amy.

  “That’s definitely true,” said Bernadette. “He dated plenty of people.”

  “You?” asked Amy.

  “No,” Bernadette said. “I knew he was a Willoughby and not a Mr. Darcy.”

  “Jane Austen?” Amy asked.

  “Yes. Though I combined novels. When my love life goes poorly, which is often, she’s a great one to read.”

  “Do you know if anyone on the street dated him?” Heather asked.

  “No,” Bernadette said, thinking. “There was a period of time where I thought he might have been with Delilah, but I was never sure.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I got the feeling that one was waiting for the other when they closed up for the day. It might have been my imagination, but it’s what I thought at the time.”

  “When was this?” asked Heather.

  “For a long time, but it stopped a few weeks ago.”

  “Did you notice him with anyone else recently?”

  “No. But that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t seeing anyone. Just that I didn’t seem them by the restaurant,” said Bernadette. “I hope this helps in your investigation. I’d like to think I’m helping you catch a killer.”

  “You might be,” said Heather. “We noticed when we came in today that you felt you didn’t have enough space for your books.”

  “That’s true,” she said. “I can’t say no to them. I have to have full shelves, but then I start to get too many and it becomes cluttered.”

  “I bet you’d like to expand your shop,” Amy said.

  “I’d love to have more space,” said Bernadette. “But I think that’s impossible.”

  “Even if Percy Coven’s restaurant closes down?” asked Heather.

  “I’d never be able to afford more space,” said Bernadette. “This is prime real estate as it is. I couldn’t expand.”

  Heather nodded.

  “Why? Do you think I killed him?”

  “We need to follow all possible leads,” Heather said.

  “I see,” said Bernadette.

  When they left the bookshop, they felt that Bernadette was acting much colder to them.

  “I think we might have lost our only friend,” said Amy.

  “Catching the killer is more important than making friends,” said Heather, but she was disappointed too.

  14

  No Funny Business

  “I’m surprised you’d dare show your face on this street,” Delilah said as they entered her boutique.

  “Why?” Amy asked. “Do I have frosting on it?”

  “You think Percy’s murder is funny?” Delilah asked. “Because I don’t.”

  “We don’t either,” Heather assured her. “In fact, we’re trying to solve it. We’re private investigators and have decided to investigate our new neighbor’s death.”

  “Why did you want to talk me?”

  “We’re talking to everyone on the street,” Heather told her.

  “I didn’t have anything to do with it,” Delilah said.

  “Maybe you saw something that could point us in the right direction,” Heather said, hoping to appease her and keep her talking. “Did you notice anything unusual the day he died? Maybe someone by his restaurant that you don’t normally see?”

  “The only people on the street that seemed out of place was your shop,” Delilah said.

  “Well, you walked us into that one,” Amy said.

  “Did you know that Percy Covens was back in Key West?” Heather asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He was away on vacation. He was supposed to be gone for the week, but he got called back to fix something. We’re not sure how many people knew he was back,” said Heather.

  “And so if I knew he was back, then I was the one who killed him?”

  “If you knew he was back, you might know who else knew he was back,” said Heather.

  Delilah started organizing her swimsuits so she wouldn’t have to give them her full attention.

  “I didn’t really notice,” Delilah said. “I might have realized he was back when I saw lights on at the restaurant, but I didn’t think much about it. I forgot that he was going on vacation. That was unlike him.”

  “So you knew him well enough to know his vacation habits?” asked Heather.

  “I talked to him sometimes,” Delilah said. “Our stores are close by and he was friendly.”

  “We heard he could be friendly,” said Amy. “We heard he dated a lot.”

  “Already buying into street gossip, I see,” Delilah said.

  “Did you and Percy Covens ever date?” Heather asked.

  “No,” Delilah said, blushing. “Who said I did?”

  “We were just wondering if he dated anyone on the street,” said Heather.

  “Was it Bernadette? If she said that, it’s just to cause trouble for me.”

  “Why would that be?”

  “Because I’m pretty and she’s petty. Percy wouldn’t even look at her. Now she wants you to think I killed him.”

  “That would be a change,” said Amy. “Because everyone else on the street thinks it was us.”

  "Maybe it is. Maybe I shouldn't be talking to you. Maybe the police haven't found all their clues yet and will figure out who did it soon."

  “We all want the same thing,” Heather said. “Justice for Percy Covens. Do you know anyone who wanted to hurt him?”

  “No,” Delilah said. “Maybe someone he actually dated.”

  “Did he and Mr. Rankle get along?” Amy asked.

  “I guess so,” Delilah said. “Percy got along with everyone.”

  “One more line of questioning,” Heather said. “Where were you the morning of the murder?”

  “I was working,” Delilah said.

  “Can you prove that?” asked Heather.

  "Actually, I can," said Delilah. "I was on a phone call with a customer that took a very long time. I'm sure phone records can back me up on that. It was the office line, so I had to be in the store to make the call."

  “That’s nice,” said Amy. “That’s one phone we know the location of.”

  “What do you mean by that?” asked Delilah.

  “Nothing,” said Amy.

  Delilah pursed her lips, but then said, “Are you all finished with your questions?”

  “For now,” said Heather. “Thank you for your time.”

  She and Amy left the shop. They walked along the street towards Juan and Don’s Tacos, discussing their prior questioning.

  “I don’t know how I feel about her as a suspect,” said Amy.

  Heather agreed. “I got the sense that she was lying about dating the victim at some point. Her face got very red and she immediately blamed Bernadette for starting the rumor.”

  “Then again, maybe Bernadette did start the rumor. Maybe she’s been playing us.”

  “Well, our suspect list is certainly still remaining long,” said Heather. “And we might be adding to it.”

  “We don’t want to talk to you,” Juan said.

&
nbsp; “We’re very busy setting up for our lunch rush,” said Don.

  "Interesting," Amy commented. "I bet it'll be even busier now that you don't have a lunchtime seafood restaurant a few doors down to compete with."

  This made the two men pause.

  “You think we killed him?” Don asked.

  “Well, maybe just one of you,” Amy said.

  “We’re talking to everyone on the street,” said Heather. “We’re trying to determine who might have had a motive.”

  Juan and Don looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes, then quickly said at the same time: “We don’t have a motive.”

  “Was that convincing?” Amy asked.

  “Did we hit on something?” Heather asked. “Will your business profit from the seafood restaurant closing?”

  “No,” said Don.

  “Another place will surely open up there,” said Juan.

  “And there are lots of restaurants on this street. We can all survive together,” Don said.

  “But,” Juan started and then stopped.

  “We might as well tell her,” said Don. “It will seem more suspicious if we don’t. And then she’ll see it wouldn’t be a reason for murder.”

  Juan nodded. “It’s not a reason for murder. And we aren’t happy to see him dead. We liked Percy. He was a good man.”

  “But?” Heather prompted.

  “But,” Juan continued. “Now that he’s gone we can start making our special fish tacos again.”

  “It seemed silly to focus on them with the fish place right there,” Don said. “So we just made chicken and beef.”

  “But we do make a great fish taco,” said Juan.

  “Juan has the best recipe,” Don agreed.

  "And so that has been something that we have been scurrying about making changes for," said Juan. "But we wouldn't kill anyone about it."

  “No way,” Juan agreed. “No one has to die for tacos.”

  “Where were you both the morning he died?” Heather asked.

  “We weren’t open yet,” said Don. “But we were together.”

  "We had to go to the bank to check on something in our business records," said Juan. "I'm sure they have documentation to prove we were there."