“I’m glad you did come in and report this incident.” Then he started to say more when Sam and Vicky came down the hall.
Annie had planned to leave before Sam discovered her presence. She tried to hide her guilty look with the pretext of checking her phone for messages. Everyone was trying to get Sam’s attention except Annie.
“Boss, I have someone here with new information.” Dennis stood up and started walking towards Sam.
“Sam I have the coroner’s office on line two.” Julie seemed oblivious to the impending storm.
“Not right now Dennis. I’ll get to you as soon as I can.” Then he thanked Vicky as she dashed out the front door. Then turning to his girlfriend with a grim expression on his face, he asked, “Did you need to see me too?”
Annie looked up at Sam with her soft brown eyes and sweet smile. Her heart always skipped a few beats whenever she saw her tall, dark, handsome boyfriend. “Oh Sam, I dropped off some treats for everybody. I have to run now. Will I be seeing you at lunch?”
“No I don’t have time today. I’ll have Julie pick up an order for us.”
Annie got up and headed for the door. She gave Julie a little wave. Sam headed down to his office mumbling to himself. “Put that call through, Julie.”
Dennis decided to take a written statement from Nicole. He wanted every detail; this would take some time. After her initial outburst, Nicole had turned on her charm.
Chapter 4
It was 11:30 when Sam finished taking Kate’s statement. Walking Kate out, Sam noticed that Dennis was alone. “Julie, would you mind getting lunch for Dennis and me? I’d rather stay in and avoid the public today.” Taking out his wallet, he handed Julie some money. “I’ll cover the phones. Why don’t you take a lunch break now? We’ll have whatever Roy’s special is for today.”
“Sam you’re getting to be soft in your old age. You’re actually letting me take a lunch break away from my desk.” Grabbing her jacket, she was gone in a flash.
“Dennis, let’s go over everything. Come on back to my office. Guess you finished with that woman. What was that all about?” Sam got a fresh cup of coffee and the last bun in the box.
Dennis followed Sam down the hall. He had his notes he had taken from Amy and Nicole. He was excited about a possible break in the case.
“Here’s hoping we’ll be left alone for a while. So what are you bursting to tell me?” Sam took a sip of his coffee and then slowly ate the bun.
Dennis went on to report about Nicole’s story of the brother and sister from Seattle.
“I checked at the Pine Tree Inn and they are booked through the weekend. Guess this murder has really hit the sister something awful. Joy, who manages the desk, said Marissa has been in her room all morning. I think that we should have the brother, TJ Dunbar in for questioning.” Then glancing at his notes he continued.
“Amy didn’t have much to add today. She told me that anyone could walk into the gym when it was open. Members have to sign in at the desk when they arrive. There is always an employee on site. She never mentioned Kate. I think she realized that she over reacted yesterday.” Dennis set his pad down on Sam’s desk.
“I talked to Vicky Snyder and she has a terrific alibi. Let me read this to you.” Sam took his notes and began.
“I take a break most every afternoon and leave the gym. Classes and private sessions are finished for the day by one o’clock. There are a few evening classes. When I left yesterday, Eric was starting his workout. Amy was reading People magazine. Now here’s my big secret. I go to see my friend, Lisa Romero, the owner of Just Desserts. She has the best chocolate goodies. I slip in the back door. We visit while I enjoy a snack. I can’t let anyone know about this. I’m always stressing good eating habits along with exercise. Check with Lisa. She will verify my being at her shop.”
When Sam finished they both enjoyed a good laugh. “I could check with the owner of Just Desserts but I doubt that it’s necessary. She wouldn’t confess to something so outrageous if it wasn’t true.” Sam put away his notes and straightened up his desk.
“Julie should be back with our lunch shortly. Why don’t you track down TJ Dunbar? I know if it were my sister, I might think about killing the trainer.”
“I will go to the inn after lunch to talk with him.” Dennis replied as Julie came in the door. “What’s for lunch Julie?”
“Chili and cornbread. Annie put in a slice of apple pie for each of you. I think she’s trying to soften up the chief.” Julie took everything back to the conference room and set it out.
Stopping off at the refrigerator in their tiny kitchen, Dennis got out a Dr Pepper to go with his meal. Going into the conference room, he noticed that Julie had set out their lunch. There were small containers of butter and honey for the cornbread. Now if there were only some vanilla ice cream in the freezer to go with the pie, Dennis would be one happy camper. Taking statements all morning gave a person an appetite.
TJ was not at the inn when Dennis stopped by, so he left a message for TJ to call the police station. It was four o’clock before TJ called. Dennis was out on patrol so Sam took the call.
“This is TJ Dunbar. I got a message to call. What’s this about?” He had gone back to Denver. He was trying to give Marissa time to deal with Eric’s death. She wanted to be alone for now.
“This is Sam Sparks, the Chief of Police. We had a report this morning that you went to see Eric Chapman Wednesday night. Is that correct?”
“Yeah, I went to see him.” TJ was on his guard, not knowing where this was going.
“I need you to come in now and give a statement. Ask anyone and they can tell you where to find the station.” Sam was very firm with his request.
“Let me check in with my sister and then I will be there.” TJ hung up without waiting for a reply.
Chapter 5
About 30 minutes later a young sophisticated looking man of 27 with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache came into the police station. He introduced himself to Julie who immediately took him to Sam’s office.
Sam stood up to shake TJ’s hand. “I really appreciate you coming right over.”
“Didn’t think I had much choice.” TJ was not the least bit happy about being here.
“Have a seat. I have a few questions for you.” Sam sat down and rested his arms on his desk. TJ took a chair directly across from Sam. Sitting down with a big sigh, TJ gave Sam a weary look.
“Sorry, I’m not at my best. This has been a bad week.”
“Let’s start with why you and sister came all the way from Seattle to our little town.”
TJ gave slight chuckle. “This is quite a change for me. I was in Dubai last week.”
Sam gave him a surprised look with raised eyebrows.
“My parents have a rare gems and artifact business. I travel all over buying and selling. Marissa recently got her business degree and she manages the office. When I returned home after three months, I saw a change in my sister. She is small like our mom. Well, even in her bulky sweater, I could tell she had put on weight. The two of us have always been close so it wasn’t long before I got the whole sad story.”
Sam stopped TJ briefly, asking if he would like a cold drink. He had a feeling that this was going to take a while.
“I would enjoy a coke or whatever you have. Thanks.”
Sam walked across to the kitchen, took out two cokes, and returned to his office. TJ took a big drink, wiped his mouth, and smiled at Sam.
“This whole mess is like a tragic soap opera. My sister was too embarrassed to call Eric about her pregnancy.
“The next morning I called Eric at the Sunset Apartments. I remember the conversation well.” TJ went on to recall his talk.
“I need to speak with Eric Chapman.”
“You got him dude. Who wants to know?” Eric went about his morning routine of making his energy drink. It was only seven in the morning. What a way to start the day.
“This is TJ Dunbar in Seattle. I’m calling
about my little sister, Marissa. You remember her, don’t you?” Eric could sense the anger in the man’s voice.
“Melissa? No can’t say that I know anyone by that name.” Eric was doing a quick mental scan.
“Not Melissa. Her name is Marissa. She said that the two of you met at a resort in Cabo in June. She has been waiting for you to call or e-mail. Why haven’t you?”
“Oh man, have I been so busy with my new job. It slipped my mind. I’ll give her a quick call later today, okay?”
There was a long silence on the line then TJ spoke. “Don’t bother. I’m bringing her to see you this week. You can make your excuses in person.”
“That was the end of our conversation. We arrived here Tuesday evening. Eric agreed to see me the next day when he finished at the gym. I wanted to hear his story before my sister saw him. Wednesday morning I left Marissa at the Inn. She was tired from the trip. I headed up to Boulder to look for some rare gems for the business.” TJ took another sip of his drink and sat back.
Sam gave the man a little time to relax. He didn’t think he was a killer. Maybe he would like to have beaten Eric to a pulp; big brothers did that sort of thing.
“When I got back that afternoon, Marissa was all excited about her day. She had gone out shopping and had lunch at a little deli. She was amazed at how friendly and helpful everyone was to her. We went out for a quick dinner and then I went to see Eric.
“When I arrived at his apartment I found a very angry man waiting for me. He started right off by denying that he knew Marissa. He even commented that all of the pretty women start to look alike. I showed him a photo of him with Marissa. He finally admitted to hooking up with my sister. Then I broke the news that she is five months pregnant. Eric suddenly lost his cocky attitude; he was now slumping in his lounge chair. He sounded defeated when he asked me to bring Marissa to see him Thursday night.”
TJ stopped talking to finish off his coke. Resting back in his chair he continued. “My sister and I stayed in town the next day. Marissa dragged me around to some of the shops. She was all excited about buying some hand knit baby stuff. I tried not to show how upset I was with Eric. I know she was making all sorts of plans for the two of them.”
“Where were you yesterday afternoon?”
“Marissa wanted to rest in the afternoon so I made a quick trip to Denver. I was getting claustrophobic in this little town. When I got back around five, I heard about Eric. The woman at the inn gave me the news. I can give you the names of the businesses in Denver where I was yesterday.” TJ reached into his jacket, pulled out some cards, and handed them to Sam.
“I’ll keep these for now. How is your sister holding up?” Sam put the cards in his desk.
“Marissa is a wreck, crying all the time and won’t leave her room. We will be here over the weekend. She doesn’t want to see our parents yet. I hope that you find the killer soon.” TJ was starting to get up.
“Am I free to leave now? You know where to find us. I hope that you don’t have to talk to my sister. She is upset enough.”
“That’ll be all. I appreciate you coming in.” Sam stood up and extended his hand to TJ who reached across the desk to him.
Chapter 6
It had been a long day and Annie was anxious to get home. As she neared her front door, she saw a long florist box from Carl’s Grocery. What is this? Who would leave flowers in this kind of weather? Taking the box inside, Annie set it down on the hall table. She had a suspicion about the sender of the flowers. Slowly she removed her coat, boots and gloves. Then she took her time putting everything away.
Stalling as long as possible, Annie finally opened the lid. There was an array of beautiful long-stem red roses. Someone spent plenty on these. Slipping out the card, she read. To my one and only love, Brad.
Annie picked up the flowers and threw them into the trash. She wanted to do the same with Brad.
After his first appearance in August, Brad would stop by unexpectedly at the café. He acted as if he wanted to pick up where they left off, before he married Penelope Wentworth. Something happened and they divorced after 10 years. Annie’s love for Brad had died years ago.
Looking at the kitchen clock, Annie decided she could take a leisurely bath before Kate and Darla arrived. The old claw foot tub provided lots of room for relaxing. Annie rested her head on a pillow on the back of the tub. Thankfully, she had set the timer for 30 minutes.
Stepping out of the cooling water, Annie felt relaxed. After drying herself off, she slipped into a comfortable pale rose-colored yoga outfit. She seldom bothered with makeup.
After putting a salad together, Annie cooked the pasta and finished mixing all the ingredients for her new entrée.
Soon both Kate and Darla arrived. “Something sure smells good.” Darla always loved Annie’s cozy kitchen.
“Darla I didn’t hear you drive up. Do you have a different car?” Annie could tell Darla’s car by its noisy muffler.
“No. It’s the same old Toyota. I’m no longer embarrassed to offer Kate a ride now. Thanks to her neighbor, Hank Davis, I was able to get it fixed. It’s good for another five years. He was so nice and I got such a good deal.” Darla smiled at her friend.
“How is Hank these days and his son, Kevin?” Annie could see a blush starting on Kate’s face. She wondered if Kate would date Hank once her divorce was final.
“They are both fine.” Kate always had a warm smile whenever she talked about her neighbor.
“Let’s sit down; everything is ready. I’m trying this new recipe. Its spinach and sausage penne and you get to be my food critics. I’m thinking of adding it to the menu.” Annie set the large bowl on the table with a large serving spoon. “Help yourselves ladies.” There were individual salads at each place. Garlic bread was in a basket under a floral covered napkin.
“I thought we might enjoy a small glass of wine with dinner.” Annie poured everyone some red wine then sat down to eat.
“This has been quite a day.” Annie went on to tell about her visit to the police station.
“I did get some good information that I will share with both of you tonight. So what is the verdict on this pasta dish?”
“You have my vote for putting it on the menu.” Darla was wiping off her buttery fingers from the garlic bread.
“Annie I have never known you to cook a bad meal. This was great. I’ll need to do some extra time on the treadmill after tonight.” Kate stood up and smoothed out the creases in her outfit. She was wearing emerald colored pants and a light pink sweater.
“You are looking great these days, Kate. Your time at the gym is really paying off and I noticed your eating habits have changed.”
“It’s all thanks to Darla for inviting me to the gym for a free dance lesson. I never did join the class but I did start exercising. I had an introductory session with Eric on the different machines. That’s when I found out what a creep he was.” Kate made a sour face and then laughed.
“Darla this is the first I heard about you taking dance lessons. What’s the scoop?”
“I’m having such a good time. It reminds me of when I worked with the showgirls in Vegas. We meet two times a week in the evenings so it doesn’t interfere with my business.” Darla started stacking dishes and taking them the sink. “Let’s get this all cleaned up so you won’t have to be stuck with it later Annie.”
Kate noticed the fresh flowers in the trash when she was scraping the dishes. “What’s with the flowers Annie?”
“Oh those stupid things. Brad sent them. They were on my doorstep when I got home tonight. I don’t know what it will take to get rid of him. The next time he stops at the café, I will give him a piece of my mind.” Annie wanted to forget about Brad for now.
In no time, they had the kitchen in order and the women were in the living room ready to work.
“Okay posse we need to have a plan. While I was at the police department today, a woman named Nicole Pearson came in to report someone. She owns that new bus
iness called Tranquil Moments. I have heard that she gives great massages. She also carries lotions and herbs of all kinds. She was telling Dennis about a brother and sister visiting from Seattle. It seems that Eric got this girl pregnant while on vacation. The brother was going over to see him Wednesday night. Nicole seemed to imply that he might be a suspect in the crime. I think I will go see the sister tomorrow afternoon. It sounds like she could use a friend.”
Welcome to Sweetwater (Annie Parker Mystery Shorts Box Set) Page 14