Fatal Festive Donuts

by Cindy Bell

  “I don’t know, but I don’t think we can rule him out as a possibility. He was obviously there. Why else would the eggs be broken?” Brenda frowned.

  “Unless Jerry broke those on his way into the truck. Aaron usually leaves them on the step up into the truck. So, maybe Jerry didn’t see them, and stepped on them?”

  “It’s possible.” Brenda rested her head back on the couch as she considered it. “But, I think we need to talk to Aaron. If he was there, he might have seen something.”

  “True. I wonder if anyone else was around that morning?” Joyce pursed her lips. “I’m pretty sure we were one of the first ones to arrive.”

  “I remember Gray mentioned that he came in at about five-thirty every morning. He might have been there, but I don’t remember seeing him that morning. Of course, in all of the chaos, I might have just overlooked him. He did mention to me that he wasn’t getting along with many of the other vendors. So maybe he would be a good resource to find out what might have been happening behind the scenes.” She sighed. “At least we have an idea of where to start, though I’m not sure where it’s going to lead.”

  “I’m not sure either.” Joyce closed her eyes. “But we have to work through this together, Brenda. We’re going to figure this out, I promise.”

  “I’m sure we will.” She nodded. They looked at each other with a sense of determination. They were going to solve the murder.

  Chapter 8

  Over the next few hours Brenda and Joyce pored over the list of vendors who worked at the holiday market. They went through each vendor and added the names of the people who they knew worked there. It was a long list, and didn’t account for those that they didn’t know or couldn’t recall. It also didn’t include those that delivered goods to the trucks and local stores. As they began to delve into adding those names to the lists, the number continued to creep up.

  “Ugh, this seems impossible.” Joyce pushed her tablet aside and closed her eyes. “There are just so many people that could have had access to Jerry, and the truck.”

  “Maybe we’re coming at this the wrong way?” Brenda drummed her fingers on the table. “We know that Jerry was there, right?”

  “Of course.” Joyce narrowed her eyes. “But how does that help?”

  “Well, if he was there then he might have gone to the bakery. Maybe if we can get the footage from the bakery, we’ll be able to see if he was there with anyone else. I’m sure the police have checked it, but it may help us to narrow down our suspects. What do you think?” She frowned.

  “I think it’s a great idea, but how are we going to get access to the recording? It’s not as if the police will just hand it to us.” Joyce rested her chin on her hand. “I could try asking Detective Crackle, but I’m fairly certain he would be less than inclined to offer me any help.”

  “No, but I might be able to get in contact with someone who would. Let me make a phone call.” She grabbed her phone and stepped into the guest bedroom. As she dialed Charlie’s number, her heart pounded. She could only imagine how anxious he was about the situation, and knowing she was looking into things would probably make him even more nervous.

  “Hi sweetheart.” His voice echoed through the phone. It was heavy with exhaustion.

  “Oh Charlie, are you all right? Have you been sleeping at all?”

  “I’m fine, don’t worry about me. I’m just glad to hear your voice.”

  “Me too.” She sighed and savored the connection with him for a moment. “Listen, does Richard still work in the video editing department?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “Do you have his number? I need to ask him for a favor.”

  “What kind of favor, Brenda?” His voice grew more alert.

  “I just want to see if he can get me a look at some security camera footage from the bakery.” She held her breath as she wondered if he would refuse to give her the phone number.

  “Yes, I’m sure he would.” He paused a moment, then cleared his throat. “Do you think there’s something on there that can clear you and Joyce?”

  “I hope so.”

  “Here’s the number.” He rattled it off as she typed it into her phone. “Listen, I may be busy, but I’m here. So anything you need just let me know. Be careful about stepping on any toes in the police department, all right?”

  “I’ll do my best. Thanks for your help, Charlie. I hope you’re able to get some rest soon.”

  “Soon. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” She hung up the phone. For a moment, her mind dwelled on how hard he worked, but the intensity of being a suspect in a murder investigation steered her focus back to Richard. She dialed his number.

  “Richard Kessen.”

  “Hi Richard, this is Brenda, Charlie’s wife?”

  “I remember you, Brenda.” His tone sounded friendly. “How are you holding up?”

  She cringed as she realized that he probably knew every detail about Detective Crackle’s suspicion of her.

  “I’m doing okay, thanks. But I need a favor.”

  “All right, I suppose I owe you one for all of those delicious cookies you brought into the office.”

  “Do you have access to the security footage from the bakery?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Is there any way that I could take a look at it?” She bit into her bottom lip. “I don’t want to get you into any trouble, but it would really help me out.”

  “It’s no trouble. I had to pull some pieces out from it for the story on the website. Do you want to come by now and have a look?”

  “Yes, that would be great! Thank you so much.”

  “No problem. I know you had nothing to do with this, Brenda, and anything I can do to help you get through this, I’m at your service.”

  “Thanks Richard.” She sighed with relief as she hung up the phone. When she returned to the living room she found Joyce seated on the recliner with Molly in her lap. The rabbit looked up and wiggled her nose as Brenda stepped in.

  “I spoke to someone who has access to the tapes. He said we could come take a look right now.” She stroked the rabbit’s fur.

  “Oh wonderful!” Joyce eased Molly off her lap and gathered her purse. “Let’s go.”

  “I’ll drive.” She grabbed her keys and purse, and they headed out the door.

  “So, who is this friend?” Joyce glanced over at her as she started the car.

  “Richard. He works for the newspaper, in the video editing department. They have a website where they expand their printed stories with audio and video. He has the tapes because he is putting together something to post on the website to go along with the story.” She pulled out of the driveway and drove towards the newspaper office.

  “He’s not going to try to pump us for a story, is he?” Joyce frowned. “We should be careful what we say.”

  “No, Richard is a trustworthy guy. Plus, he doesn’t write the articles. He just edits the video that will be added to it. And he loves my cookies.”

  “Your cookies?” Joyce grinned.

  “Yes, chocolate chip butterscotch. I’ll make him a big batch after all of this is over.” She turned down the road that led to the newspaper office.

  “I’d love to try some, too. Do you think we’re going to run into Charlie?” She looked up at the large three-story building.

  “No, it’s not likely. He’s usually holed up in his office when he’s on a deadline. I’d rather not interrupt him. Although, unfortunately I think that this situation is already having an impact on him. He sounded so tired when I spoke to him.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Joyce gazed up at the windows as Brenda parked. “I’m sure he’s worried about you, but try not to let it get to you, we’re going to get all of this straightened out.”

  “Hopefully this will be a good start.”

  As they headed into the building Brenda led the way to Richard’s office. When she knocked on the door, she heard a bit of commotion on the other side. He
opened the door as he pulled his headphones off. Tall and wiry, he seemed to just fit into the small room. As he smiled at them, his cheeks flushed.

  “Sorry, I had my headphones on and almost fell out of my chair when you knocked. I don’t get many visitors.”

  “Sorry for startling you.” Brenda returned his smile. “I guess you didn’t expect me to show up so fast.”

  “No, I didn’t. Just give me a few minutes and I’ll have it set up for you. I’m going on lunch break anyway, so you can use the room.” He leaned over a keyboard that was attached to a large monitor. As he typed, an image appeared on the screen. It was the front of the bakery. A second image popped up beside it, a rear view of the bakery.

  “Oh, wow this is great. I didn’t know Jerry had so many cameras.”

  “It is a little unusual for a business on that street to have such good coverage. There’s hardly ever any crime there, and most buildings don’t have cameras. But I guess Jerry wanted to be thorough. I’m not sure what you’re hoping to find, but I’ve been through all of the footage from that morning, and the only person that goes in or out of the bakery is Jerry.” He stepped past them, through the door. “Good luck.”

  “Great.” Joyce sat down in one of the rolling computer chairs. “Should we even bother to look? If no one is on the camera, then we’re not going to find out much.”

  “You may be right.” She sighed as she sat down in the chair in front of the keyboard and monitor. “But, what if they’re looking in the wrong place?”

  “You mean they should be looking somewhere other than the bakery?” Joyce raised an eyebrow.

  “No, I should say, maybe they are looking at the wrong time. You heard what Richard said. It is unusual for a business on that street to have so many cameras. So why did he have them? Maybe he experienced something that made him more vigilant. Maybe if we roll back the date and time we’ll catch something else unusual on the camera.”

  “Oh, good idea!” Joyce nodded. “I can also check to see if I can find out when the cameras were purchased and installed.” She pulled out her phone. “Is there any information on the company that provided the cameras or where he might have purchased them?”

  “Yes, on this note it says Baned Security. But I’m not sure how much they will tell you.” Brenda began to scan through the video footage.

  “Hm. Good point. But maybe if I use this phone.” Joyce picked up the landline on the desk beside the monitor.

  “Good idea.” Brenda continued to scroll through the footage. She knew that checking the footage during the day wouldn’t reveal much, as Jerry had plenty of customers come and go. Instead she focused on the afterhours portions of the video.

  “Yes, I’m calling from Daily News Marsail, and I’d like to find out about a purchase date for some of your equipment.” She paused and met Brenda’s eyes. “Yes, I have the serial number here.” She took the piece of paper that Brenda offered her, then rattled off the number. “Yes, I understand, but we’re working on a story and this is part of our verification of information. All I need to know is the date the equipment was purchased, please.” She smiled and nodded at Brenda. “Great, thanks so much.” She hung up the phone.

  “Well? Did they give it to you?” Brenda gazed at her eagerly.

  “Yes, he purchased them on October fifth.”

  “October fifth, why does that sound familiar?” Brenda narrowed her eyes as she continued to skim through the footage.

  “Let me see.” Joyce checked the calendar on her phone. “It was the day of the first planning meeting for the holiday market. Jerry was there, remember? He was complaining about not getting a spot at the market.”

  “Interesting. Do you think he bought them because he thought there would be an uptick of crime due to the market?” She slowed the video down as she spotted something strange on it.

  “Maybe. But the market was still months away. It seems a little strange that he would buy them so early. What if something about that meeting made him feel vulnerable? As I recall there wasn’t much that stood out about that meeting. They introduced us as new vendors, remember?”

  “Yes.” She nodded then pointed at the screen. “Look, I think I found something. It looks like someone’s shadow on the back door.”

  “Could it be a trick of light?” Joyce leaned forward to take a closer look.

  “I thought so, but when I checked other footage it wasn’t there. It’s there consistently three days in a row. Like someone is hiding out near the back door.” She tapped the screen.

  “What is the date on the video?” Joyce studied the screen.

  “It’s December tenth, eleventh, and twelfth so far. There is still more video to look through.”

  “Interesting. That’s only a few days after the market started and a little over a week ago. I think that it’s very possible this person, whoever it is, could have been involved in the murder. If only we had a clear shot of the face, or even the body, we might be able to figure something out.”

  “There’s nothing here. Nothing but a shadow.” She sighed as she sat back in her chair. “Another dead-end.”

  “Not dead necessarily.” Joyce pulled out her tablet and logged the dates that Brenda spotted the shadow. “We know that someone was there. We also know that Jerry bought those cameras for a reason, and that was a valid reason, since someone was skulking around the bakery when it was closed. That is somewhere to start, even if we don’t have a name or face to go with it.”

  “That’s true.” Brenda covered her mouth as a yawn escaped her. “I was just hoping for something more I guess.”

  “I think we need to rest a bit and let our minds churn through all of this. Let’s go back to the house.” As she stood up she felt a bite of pain snake its way up along her back. That didn’t surprise her, as whenever she was stressed she would get a bit of back pain. Most of the time it would disappear quickly, but once it had landed her in bed for a few days.

  “Well, there’s nothing more to see here.” Brenda turned off the monitor and stood up. As they left the newspaper office, she was tempted to just step in the elevator and head upstairs for a hug from her husband. Instead, she kept her focus on going out the door behind Joyce. Part of starting the donut truck business was about experiencing independence for the first time in a long time. That meant dealing with her own problems, even if Charlie would be more than willing to deal with them for her.

  Chapter 9

  Early the next morning, Brenda woke to the sound of Joyce’s phone ringing. It was the second time she’d heard it. The first time she’d ignored it and willed herself to go back to sleep. But the second time she couldn’t. She sat up in bed as she heard Joyce’s voice through the wall.

  “It’s very early, Detective.”

  The moment she heard that, her chest tightened. Why was he calling so early? What news could he have that couldn’t wait? She padded out into the hallway, just as Joyce stepped out of her own bedroom.

  “I guess he woke you, too, huh?” She shook her head.

  “What was it about?” Brenda followed her into the kitchen.

  “It was good news, actually, which was surprising. He said he wanted to tell me personally that we’ve been given the all clear to reopen the truck as of ten this morning.” She began to get the coffee pot ready.

  “Oh, that is good news!” Brenda smiled. “Does that mean that they’ve found the killer?”

  “No, unfortunately. But the truck has been processed as much as it can be, and the mayor has been putting pressure on the police department to get the market back up and running, so we have the opportunity to open the truck back up.”

  “Well, that’s not great news. But at least we can get back to work.”

  “He also said that he wants a copy of the gingerbread donut recipe. He wants me to email it to him.”

  “The gingerbread donuts. Why?” Brenda asked, then her eyes widened. “He thinks they were poisoned?”

  “I don’t know, but he can think it
all he wants. They weren’t, so let’s just give him the recipe.”

  “Okay.” Brenda nodded slowly.

  “Apparently, all of our supplies have been removed as a precaution and the inside of the truck has gone through a special cleaning to sanitize it.”

  “At least we didn’t have a lot of stock delivered. We are getting most of the dry ingredients delivered this week.”

  “I know. I can’t wait to get back open.”

  “Do you think anyone will come to the truck, though?” Brenda bit into her bottom lip.

  “Why wouldn’t they?” Joyce looked into her eyes. “Listen, we didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I know that. But the last time the detective was here he wouldn’t try the donuts I offered him. I mean, people are going to know that Jerry was possibly killed by a donut. Do you really think they’re going to risk purchasing anything from us?”

  “Yes, I do. Because the regulars will know better, and the visitors won’t have a clue about what happened. We’ll be fine. Hiding out is not an option. We need to show the detective that we have nothing to hide from. Let him believe what he wants. If he can’t solve the crime, well then he’s just not very good at his job, is he?” Joyce turned the coffee pot on. “You can decide whether you want to or not, but I’m going to be at the truck by nine. That way we have time to tidy up whatever they might have done to it.”

  “Yes, I’ll be there, of course.” Brenda placed a hand on Joyce’s shoulder as she turned away from the coffee pot. “I’m sorry, I know I can be a little anxious.”

  “You have every reason to be. I’m nervous, too. We all show it in different ways. But I’m trying to convince myself that we have nothing to be worried about here.” Joyce sighed. “I guess that’s a bit of a contradiction.”

  “This whole thing is a mess. I just wish it was over with.” She frowned. “I just keep picturing myself with my arms around Sophie on Christmas Eve. All of this will be behind us by then. Right?”