Blackberry Frosted & Murder_An Oceanside Cozy Mystery Book 28

by Susan Gillard

  “Thank you,” she said, starting to smile. “Please, call me Evie. And I’ll answer what I can. No one wants this cleared up more than me.”

  “Well, maybe there’s a few more people,” Amy joked.

  Heather elbowed her friend and moved closer to the counter that Evie was leaning on. The office was decorated with lots of boat pictures and models. It was small but cheery.

  “We’d like to know more about your rental process,” Heather said.

  “Sure,” said Evie. “I’ll go through it with you so I won’t get out of practice. It doesn’t look like I’ll have any other bookings today.”

  “Maybe we this is all over, we should rent a boat,” Amy said. “Relax after a job well done.”

  “Let’s solve it first before we start patting ourselves on the back,” Heather advised.

  Evie placed a binder on the counter and showed it off.

  “Customers can see our available boats online, or I can show pictures here. Then, I can tell them the availability. Many people rent the boats for a whole week on spring break, but some only rent for a few days. We have a two-day minimum for rentals.”

  “What qualifications do people need to rent?” asked Heather.

  “A good credit card,” Amy joked.

  “They do need to pay for the boat,” Evie agreed. “And we hold a credit card in case of damage. Most groups get insurance as well. It will work out for this group after their crash.”

  “Do all the boats have radios?” asked Heather.

  “Yes,” Evie said. “All our boats are up to code. And the person who rents it needs to have a boat license.”

  “Who rented the boat this time?”

  Evie checked her notes. “The group reservation was under Kasey Schwartz. She had a boat license, but she said some of the others could steer as well. They also had training. It looks like they paid cash, so that was probably split between the group. The credit card I have on file is for Calvin Green.”

  “Did you see the group before they set sail?” Heather asked.

  “Yes,” Evie said. “It was busy here, but I remember them because they were my last group of the day. They wanted to do a sunset to sunrise sail. They were setting out that night and planned to stay out at sea to see the sunrise.”

  “Is this a common trip that people make?” asked Heather.

  “On spring break, groups tend to go out during the day and party more. However, when people rent boats for days at a time, there are many who like to spend at least one night at sea. To see what it’s like to let the waves rock you to sleep.”

  “I don’t think those college kids were planning on getting much sleep,” Amy said. “I saw how many coolers of drinks, they brought on board.”

  “But none of this explains the murder,” said Heather. She turned to Evie. “How did the group seem to you? Did you notice anything suspicious?”

  “No,” Evie said. “They seemed like most of our groups. They were excited about the trip. The girl Kasey was taking it seriously. A few people looked a little nervous, but overall they were happy.”

  “Who looked nervous?”

  “The short girl and the guy whose credit card I have,” Evie said. “But it seemed to be normal first-time-on-a-boat nerves.”

  Heather nodded. “Can you think of anything else that might help us with this case?”

  “I wish I could,” said Evie. “But it seemed like such a normal reservation. We had three spring break groups rent that day. All the groups were excited. All the boats were prepared to set out. They had enough gas, life preservers and a raft.”

  “How many life preserves is enough?” asked Amy.

  “One for everyone on board,” said Evie. “So, there were seven life preservers on that boat.”

  “Well, thank you for all your help,” Heather said. “We’ll put our all into solving this.”

  “Yeah,” Amy agreed. “We wouldn’t want this to sink your business.”

  Blackberry Frosted Conversations

  “I missed Lilly most of all, but your donuts are a close second,” Nicholas said.

  Heather accepted the compliment and handed him a second donut as a reward. After questioning Evie, she and Amy had returned home. She was eager to hear about the rest of Ryan’s day and was waiting for him to arrive home and update her on it. However, she was enjoying herself while she was waiting.

  While Amy had gone to her house to spend some time with Jamie who was taking some unplanned time off in the wake of the prank calls, Heather was spending time with her expected visitor. Lilly and Nicolas were happy to tell her about all the fun they had together while she was investigating. Eva and Leila decided not to rush off after babysitting so they could chat with their friends.

  Heather felt squarely in the middle between the twelve-year-olds and the seniors, but she enjoyed every minute with these people she loved. Nicholas had been regaling them with stories about what was happening in Hillside, Texas and they had told him about all the excitement on the island.

  Then, their attention turned to donuts, and there was little discussion about anything else. Dave and Cupcake were hovering close by, hoping to catch some crumbs.

  “These donuts are delightful,” Eva said. “I have forgotten how much I like blackberry jelly.”

  “I used to make my own jelly,” Leila said. “Maybe I should take it up again.”

  The two women looked at one another and giggled.

  “Why bother when Heather provides such delicious jelly?” asked Eva.

  “And I think I really do prefer it in donut form,” Leila agreed.

  Heather smiled. She was glad that she had decided to use blackberries for her newest flavor. She thought that using a berry for a spring snack would be a good idea, and it seemed like everyone was crazy about this one.

  Ryan returned home. Dave and Cupcake greeted him after they were sure there was no more chance of getting a bit of donut. Ryan pet their fur to show them how happy he was to see them but then turned his attention to the kids.

  He gave his daughter a kiss on the head and then hugged Nicholas.

  “It’s good to see you again,” Ryan said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come to the airport to greet you.”

  “It’s all right,” Nicholas said. “I know how important your job is and how it can pull you away from things. And we already had a great day. Jamie brought Miss Marshmallow over, and it was funny to watch Dave try to impress her.”

  Dave seemed affronted that his secrets were being told, and plodded over to Heather. He laid his furry head by her feet, and she cheered him up by giving him a small portion of a donut. She hoped that this hadn’t been Dave’s plan all along and that she hadn’t been played by the pup.

  Nicholas and Lilly were still recapping the day.

  “Lilly showed me her newest dinosaur story, and it’s great.”

  “And Nicholas brought us a dreamcatcher that he made.”

  “And Eva and Leila showed us a new dance,” said Lilly.

  “Oh, it was just something we made up,” said Eva.

  “Based on what we suppose some dinosaur movements would be,” Leila agreed.

  “We’re going to use the dance when we have our own spring break dance party tonight,” Nicholas said. “We’re going to play music and have fruit punch.”

  “And Chelsea is going to come over for a movie night this week, so you can both meet,” said Lilly.

  “That will be fun,” Nicholas said. “But I like playing games with just you too.”

  “Come on,” Eva said, finishing her donut and standing up. “Why don’t you both go play a game now? We can let these two catch up on their case.”

  “And we can brave the crowds to get to the senior center for their beach ball volleyball game,” Leila agreed.

  Heather thanked them for watching the kids and wished them luck with their beach ball serves. Lilly whispered in her ear that she was worried that Nicholas really didn’t want to meet Chelsea, but Heather said not to w
orry. Everyone would still have a fun spring break.

  However, when Heather and Ryan were alone in the kitchen, she realized that there was one person who was not having a fun spring break – Kasey Schwartz.

  “Any news?” Ryan asked.

  “Amy and I were checking on the boating aspect of this,” Heather explained. “It sounds as if the crash was on purpose, but I’m not sure why. The woman at the boat rental place said that the boat was equipped with radios, seven life preservers, and a raft.”

  “The radio had been tampered with,” Ryan said. “I suspected it was near the time of the murder and not when they set out.”

  “Any other new developments?” Heather asked, handing him a Blackberry Frosted Donut.

  “Some more information on where and what killed her,” Ryan said. “But nothing more on who.”

  “I’ll take what I can get,” said Heather. “What did you find out?”

  “There was some trace of blood on the deck,” Ryan said. “Outside of the navigation area. It appears that was where she was struck.”

  “That doesn’t narrow down suspects,” said Heather.

  “There was a decorative oar in the area where the boat is steered,” Ryan said. “But there’s space for where a second one should have been hanging as well. It matches the size of the wounds. We suspect that it’s the murder weapon but was thrown overboard.”

  “So, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever find it?”

  “Unlikely,” Ryan said. “But Connors is going to check the general area where it might have traveled. If it didn’t sink, there is a chance he could locate it.”

  Heather thought about it. “If that oar was the murder weapon, then it suggests that someone on board is the killer. They would have had easy access to it.”

  Ryan nodded. “But so far, there’s no known reason why someone would want her dead. I spoke to her family in Maryland, and they don’t know of any enemies she might have had. They said she was a responsible student and had a lot of friends.”

  Heather frowned. “And some of her friends were on that boat with her. And for some reason, one of them wanted her dead.”

  The Hallway

  “How’s it going?” Heather asked.

  “Much better now that you’ve brought donuts,” Detective Peters said, smiling.

  “You haven’t been here all night?” Amy asked.

  “No,” Peters said. “There was a uniformed officer monitoring the hotel last night, but I came back early. It’s most likely that one of the college students staying in this hall is a killer, and I want to find out who.”

  He happily bit into a donut. Heather and Amy joined in. They stood in the hotel hallway, looking at the different doors where each of the college students were staying. Behind one of those doors could be a murderer.

  “So, you’ve been staying here to make sure that the group wasn’t trying to come up with a coverup about what happened?” Amy asked.

  “That’s right,” Peters said. “And no one left their rooms last night. And we did ask them to voluntarily turn in their cell phones to the hotel safe.”

  “I guess it beats jail,” Amy said.

  “Good morning, fellow investigators,” Colton Connors said, as he and Ryan joined the group. "I hope you all had a pleasant evening. Mine was unproductive in regards to the case. After work, my wife did play some lovely music for me to listen to and relax. Before that, I spent several hours searching for the murder weapon in the water but found myself unsuccessful. I can show you the maps to see how I determined the areas that I choose to search. However, it is also possible that the killer attached something heavy to this weapon so it could not be found.”

  “Would you like to try a donut?” Heather asked. “They’re Blackberry Frosted.”

  “Thank you. I would like to try one. I have not had this flavor before, but it sounds like something I would enjoy.”

  He accepted the donut. Heather was happy that he seemed to enjoy it. This was for a few reasons. She always liked when people enjoyed her donuts. She liked sharing her baked goods with Ryan’s partners, and she was happy that she had found a way to quiet Colton Connors for a few moments.

  “How should we handle these interviews?” Heather asked.

  Colton Connors finished his donut enough that he could speak, and Heather just barely held back a sigh.

  “I believe the detectives and I should conduct these interviews. It is more official,” he said. “Perhaps these private investigators wouldn’t mind staking out the hallway?”

  “They could be helpful with the questioning,” Ryan said.

  “The five of us won’t fit comfortably in these hotel rooms with the suspect,” Colton Connors said. “And we should both be involved in these interrogations. It is a joint investigation.”

  “We can take over hallway duty,” Heather said, trying to hide her disappointment.

  Colton Connors nodded. “I believe we should begin with Maria Wexler who found the body and continue from there.”

  Ryan and Detective Peters agreed. They knocked on Maria Wexler’s door and were admitted inside.

  Heather and Amy slumped into seats on a bench at the end of the hall. This was not what they had in mind when the planned on helping the police with their case.

  “At least there are some donuts,” Amy said, grabbing another.

  “And we are away from crowds,” Heather said, trying to look on the bright side of things.

  “It is boring though,” Amy said.

  Heather had to agree with that. She tried to think of something productive to do with her time. She wanted to spin possible scenarios about the murder, but without any more information, she was stuck.

  She picked up a donut and considered planning what her next flavor would be. What was something tasty to follow a blackberry flavor? What is something that Lilly and Nicholas would like while he was still visiting? And something Chelsea would like too. Heather was sure that the trio would get along as soon as they all got together.

  She and Amy chomped on their snacks until they heard a door open. A young woman with glasses entered the hallway.

  “This might not be so boring after all,” Amy said.

  The First Suspect

  “Are you with the police?” the young woman asked as she walked up to Heather and Amy in the hallway.

  “We’re guarding the hallway if that’s what you mean,” Amy said. “So, you can’t just sneak past us.”

  “I’m not sneaking anywhere,” she said. “But I don’t like being stuck here.”

  “She sounds like the old fishermen on the boat,” Amy said.

  “What’s your name?” Heather asked the girl.

  “It’s Miranda Duncan. And I hate what happened to Kasey as much as anybody, but I don’t see how us being cooped up here is going to help. Our spring break has been shot. We should be able to go home now.”

  Heather scooted to the side and patted the bench, inviting Miranda to sit down. She grudgingly did and glanced back and forth at the two women she was sitting in between.

  “I’ve done all the studying I can do in my room,” Miranda said. “I didn’t bring very much because I thought we’d be having fun. But I just want to go home now.”

  Heather looked at the door that the other investigators were behind. It didn’t seem like they would be coming out anytime soon. There couldn’t be any harm in talking to Miranda. Besides, it wasn’t like they had sought her out for an interview. She had waltzed up to them. They would need to talk to her to convince her to return quietly to her room, but they might as well get some information out of her while they could.

  “I can understand wanting to go home,” Heather said. “Especially after something so tragic happened. But do you really think that you and your friends can’t add anything that could help the case get solved?”

  “I don’t see how,” Miranda said. “She obviously had to be killed by somebody who snuck onto the boat in the middle of the night. We didn’t see anything becaus
e we were below deck. So, it’s all up to that forensic stuff to catch the killer.”

  “Why was Kasey Schwartz above deck when everyone else was below?” Heather asked.

  “She was acting like the designated driver,” Miranda explained. “She was driving while we were partying. And she was going to find a safe spot to stay for the night before she went to sleep herself. I think she was planning to stay up for a while though. She didn’t want anyone to try and drunkenly steer the boat into the sand.”

  “How was it decided that Kasey would be the one to stay sober and steer?” Heather asked.

  “Only a few people had boat licenses, and she volunteered. It seems like she didn’t drink that much anyway.”

  “Did you know her well?” Heather asked.

  Miranda shrugged. “I’m better friends with her roommate Maria. But I did know Kasey. We had the same major and were in a lot of the same classes together.”

  “So, you’re not a group of best friends on vacation together?” Heather asked.

  “We’re all friends,” said Miranda. “We all go to the same school and wanted to come to Key West for spring break. Let’s see. Calvin and Tom are also in my major, and Kasey and I had classes with them. Maria and Sidney were her roommates, and like I said, Maria is my good friend. I’m not sure how Chucky fits in.”

  “Did everyone get along?” Heather asked.

  “What do you mean?” asked Miranda.

  “We mean did someone dislike Kasey enough to want to kill her,” Amy said bluntly.

  “No one on board killed her,” Miranda said. “It had to be somebody who boarded us.”

  “We’re not so sure of that,” Heather said, gently.

  Miranda stood up.

  “You really think that one of us could have done it?”