Sarah had dressed in one of her favorite power suits today. It was navy blue with a white silk blouse. Her jacket hid her shoulder holster and gun. She felt an adrenaline rush starting. “I’ll drive, Bill. We’ll be there before the police finish writing out their reports.”
Chapter 13
Rachel was in surgery when Bill and Sarah got to the hospital. A couple of police officers were writing up reports in the ER. Bill walked over to them. “I’m looking for Officer Watkins. I’m Bill Keyes and this is Detective Sarah King.”
A stocky middle-aged man stood up, “I’m Officer Watkins.” He shook hands with them. “That woman was quite shaken up when we found her. She told us that she was on her way to Sweetwater when she lost her brakes. That road has lots of curves and drop-offs.”
“Are you going to check out the vehicle? We are dealing with a murder and she was coming into the station to tell us something. Called in early this morning and sounded frightened.”
“They should have her vehicle recovered and back at our garage later today. I’ll let you know what we find. We’re headed back to the station now.”
“Thanks for calling us.” Bill appreciated it when departments worked together. Then he went to check at the front desk. Returning to Sarah, he told her that Rachel was still in surgery and then would be going to recovery. “Sarah, it looks like quite a wait. Do you mind staying here while I stop at the police lab? They might have some results.”
“I’ll be here in the lobby. I have some calls to make. My boss left me a text early this morning so I better check in with him.”
When Bill returned, he found Sarah talking with a gray-haired man wearing scrubs. After introductions, Dr. Quinn quickly updated Bill on Rachel’s condition. “I was telling Detective King that there were complications with the surgery. She will be in recovery for a while and then in ICU overnight to monitor her closely.” His warm smile and professional manner put Sarah at ease. “Your questions will have to wait until tomorrow.”
Bill asked, “Please do one thing for us and tell the staff to not allow any visitors. We will be back in the morning.”
“No problem. I’ll take care of that right now.”
As Bill and Sarah walked to the parking lot, Sarah said, “You really think that someone is trying to silence this woman?”
“Yeah, I do. Nothing about this accident feels right. She must have told someone that she was going to come into the station. That person is desperate.”
Sarah was about to start her car when Bill suggested stopping for lunch. “There’s a diner out on the highway. It’s been hours since breakfast.” Then Bill noticed Sarah’s guilty look.
“I had a bowl of soup and a sandwich in the cafeteria but I’ll have a piece of pie.”
“Speaking of pie, the report came back positive for peanut oil in the crust. The autopsy findings say that death was due to asphyxiation. His airway was so swollen he couldn’t breathe.”
“I’ve changed my mind about having pie. I will eat some of the fries that I know you are going to order.”
Chapter 14
Tuesday night the posse greeted Annie with lots of hugs and smiles. “It’s like old times, isn’t it?” Annie was so happy to see all her friends. Everyone found her usual place in the living room. Sue took Taylor’s favorite spot in the rocking chair.
“I hope everyone had time to work on their assignment. Kate you look eager to report.” Annie got out her pad and pen to take notes.
“Lindsey told us about Lisa Romero and the decorator, Rachel, from Boulder. She said that the owner of the bakery had dated Brad at one time. I went to see her yesterday and I got quite a reception. ‘I’m too busy to socialize; I have a business to run.’ With that attitude I don’t see how she keeps customers.”
Darla spoke next. “I left several messages for Rachel. When I finally talked to her, she sounded very nervous on the phone. ‘Why are you calling me? I don’t know anything.’ I tried to reassure her that I only wanted to know if she could tell me anything about Brad Westin. She quickly hung up.” Being the newest member of the posse, Darla felt that she might have botched her part of the investigation. “I’m sorry that I didn’t find out anything very useful.”
Annie spoke up. “Darla, you did a great job. Sometimes people reveal more by not telling you anything.”
Sue told the group about the Brad’s ex-wife. “I think she’s too busy with her family to care about Brad.”
“Polly and I went to the office where Brad worked in Denver. Everyone was shocked about his death but no one seemed upset. Guess he was reprimanded a few times for taking too many risks with clients and doing sloppy work.” Molly had finished her report but added, “I never heard any complaints about his work here in town. If he hadn’t been so obsessed with Annie, he might have done very well here.”
“What should we do now?” Annie looked around at the group.
“I think the decorator knows something by the way she acted on the phone.” Darla said.
“Why don’t you try calling her again, Darla?” The group agreed with Polly’s idea.
“Let’s list what we do know and see where that leads us.” Annie started by saying someone knew about Brad’s allergy and his obsession with having an epipen close by at all times. “Afternoon Delight is a yearly baking event of the strawberry-rhubarb pie that I started a few years ago. Someone took that fact and made a pie to kill. They used my bakery box and then left a note supposedly from me.”
“Have the police gotten back any information on the pie?”
“Not that anyone has told me, Kate. Since Sam isn’t in charge of the investigation I lost my inside source.” Annie tried to hide a yawn.
“Annie, you need to get to bed. We’re done for tonight, right.” Everyone agreed with Sue and started heading for the front door.
Annie thanked the group. “Call if anyone gets any new information.”
Later that night Sue called home. She gave Taylor a detailed update on the posse’s progress.
“Didn’t I tell you that they were a great group of women?”
“You sure did. Now let me talk to your dad.”
“Hi, honey. How’s the case going?”
“Oh Dave, Annie got out yesterday morning. I feel that I need to spend some time with her before coming home. I don’t think she realizes all the stress she has been dealing with. It could get to her any time. Now you and Taylor go ahead with your plans for this weekend. If I can get home, I’ll have a nice dinner waiting you two Sunday night. Love you.”
“See you soon. Hurry home.”
Sam called to say good night to Annie. She told him about meeting with the posse and the two women of interest. “Both Rachel Sandifer and Lisa Romero were after Brad. We all think...”
Sam interrupted. “Slow down a minute. I want to tell you the latest. Rachel is in the hospital in Boulder. She was coming to the police station this morning to give some information about Brad, but had an accident.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
“Bill and Sarah were up there today but didn’t get into see her. They’re going back in the morning. Bill will keep me informed on any new developments.”
Annie sounded hopeful said, “Maybe she knows who killed Brad. I’ll be so glad when this is all solved and we can get our lives back to normal.”
“I agree with you sweetheart. Get some rest and I’ll come by for coffee in the morning.”
“Night, Sam.” Annie couldn’t get to sleep right away so she started making her plans for the morning. She would go see Kate and Darla then maybe a visit to Just Desserts.
Chapter 15
“The nurses reported that Ms. Sandifer had a restless night.” Dr. Quinn was talking to Bill and Sarah outside ICU. “I’ll let the two of you into see her but try not to upset her.”
They entered the busy unit and went to Rachel’s room. Several machines were monitoring all sorts of things. Sarah went to the bedside and gently touched Rachel’s hand. �
��Hello Rachel.”
With a slight grimace, Rachel turned her head towards Sarah and Bill. She was a pitiful sight; her face was swollen and bruised. The one size fits all hospital gown swallowed her up.
Rachel immediately saw a man in his Sweetwater police officer’s uniform. Sarah was wearing a professional looking suit, dark gray with a pink blouse. “I’m relieved that you finally got here.” Her gravelly voice was painful to hear. “Sorry, they won’t let me have anything to drink; only a few ice chips.”
“Rachel, I’m Bill Keyes and this is Detective Sarah King. You called the station early yesterday morning about Brad Westin’s death. Take your time and briefly tell us what you know.”
Suddenly one of the machines sounded an alarm. A young perky blonde-haired nurse came dashing into the room. “It’s your heart rate again; you are too excited. Are these people upsetting you?”
Rachel took a few slow, deep breaths and put a forced smile on her face. “No, I need to talk to them. This is so important. I’ll be better after I tell them a few things.”
The nurse reluctantly left the room. “All night long my heart rate would zoom up when I thought about the part I played in Brad’s death.”
Sarah to took a chair to the bedside and in a soothing calm tone she asked Rachel to tell them what she knew. Bill remained standing at the foot of the bed.
Rachel told about helping Lisa Romero play a joke on Brad. “We both knew about his allergy and his epipen. Lisa had me deliver a pie to his office when no one was there. I have a key from when I was decorating the place.” Glancing at the monitor, Rachel stopped talking and concentrated on relaxing.
“I really liked Brad, but he only saw me as his decorator. Now Lisa said she was in love with him. He continued to ignore her until she began to hate him. When she told me her plan, she said it would only scare him. I never expected him to die.” Resting back on her pillows, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief.
“Did you tell anyone that you were coming into the station?” Bill asked.
“Monday night I called Lisa and told her that I couldn’t take it anymore. Someone by the name of Darla kept calling me. She was making me a nervous wreck.” With tired sad eyes, she looked from Bill to Sarah. “You better find Lisa and question her. I’m starting to wonder about my accident too. I’ve never had a problem on that road. Granted it is twisty and windy but it is only a problem in winter weather.”
“You have done a great job, Rachel. Time for you to rest and we’ll take over.” Bill smiled and squeezed her hand.
As they were leaving, she pushed the call light for the nurse. Rachel was ready for a pain shot and some sleep.
Leaving the hospital, Bill called Sam to give him Rachel’s confession. “We will be there soon. Better start looking for Lisa Romero; looks like she’s guilty of killing Brad.”
Chapter 16
It was late morning before Annie could get away from the café. Packing a couple of cherry turnovers, Annie told Roy she was off to A Stitch in Time. “If Sam shows up, tell him I’ll be back at lunchtime.”
The short walk through town always lifted Annie’s spirits. Shop owners were gearing up for the new tourist season. Barrels of colorful pansies were on the sidewalks. After an early morning rain, everything was fresh and clean.
Kate and Darla were having a coffee break when Annie arrived. “I’m just in time with snacks.” There was a chorus of greetings and laughter. “This is only a quick visit.”
Then she repeated what Sam had told her about Rachel. “I think you can stop calling her, Darla.”
“Maybe my phone calls bothered her enough to confess.” Darla started to enjoy her cherry turnover. “Annie I have to say you bake the best goodies.”
“Speaking of baking, I’m going to Just Desserts and have a chat with Lisa. It is so nice outside that I really don’t want to go back to work.”
Kate didn’t like Annie’s idea at all. “Do you think that’s wise? We don’t know how she fits into all of this.”
“I’ll be fine. Not to worry.” After saying that, Annie left.
. . .
Sam was looking around the café for Annie. After hanging up last night, he regretted telling her so much about Rachel. Roy came out to the counter for a refill on his coffee. “Good Morning Sam. If you’re looking for Annie, she went over to A Stitch in Time. She said that she would be back by lunch.”
Grumbling under his breath Sam took off for the shop. The sky was clear but Sam could feel dark clouds on the horizon.
Taking the squad car, it was a short drive. “Where is Annie?”
“Hello to you too, Sam. Annie left a few minutes ago.” Kate asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Where was she headed?” Sam had a bad feeling about this.
Darla got up from her sewing machine and walked over to Sam. “She said she was going to see Lisa at Just Desserts.”
Turning around quickly Sam left the shop. “That woman can’t stay out of trouble for one minute.”
Darla looked a Kate in surprise. “Is he talking about Annie?” Darla had never seen this side Sam before.
“Oh, Sam must think that Annie is in some kind of danger.”
Sam flew into Just desserts with his heart pounding. A couple of women were looking at pictures of cakes in a book, but no sign of Annie. An older woman was helping them. “Excuse me, but I’m looking for Annie Parker.”
“Oh, she was here to see Lisa.” That woman returned to helping the women.
“Where is she now?”
“Do you mean Annie or Lisa?”
Exasperated Sam replied, “Annie.”
“Oh, she said she had to get back to help with the lunch crowd. This is Lisa’s day off so Annie said she would come back tomorrow. Now if you’ll pardon me.” She gave Sam an annoyed look before turning away.
“Oh, damn.” Sam swore under his breath as he left.
Back at the police station, Sarah and Bill were going over Rachel’s statement when Sam came storming in. “What’s that look all about Sam?” Bill leaned back in his chair, waiting for Sam’s reply.
“I have aged 20 years in the past 20 minutes, because of my girlfriend, Annie Parker.” Sam quickly told about running all over town looking for her.
“Did you stop in at the café to make sure she’s okay?” Sarah was envious of their relationship.
“No. I need to cool down first. That woman drives me crazy.”
Sarah closed her notebook and put on her jacket, and then said, “We need to find Lisa Romero. She may be on the run after knowing that Rachel survived the accident. The Boulder police told us that someone had tampered with her brakes. This Romero woman has a lot of explaining to do.”
“Sam, Sarah and I are going have a chat with Annie.” Bill started walking towards the door and Sarah joined him.
When they arrived at the café, Annie ushered them into the back. “Where’s Sam?”
“He said he would be here later today.” Sarah saw disappointment in Annie’s face. “Did you know he went looking for you this morning?”
“Oh, yes. Kate called to warn me that Sam was upset. He’ll get over it; he always does.” Annie didn’t appear the least bit worried. It was just another day in Mayberry.
“We heard you went to Just Desserts today but didn’t see the owner.” Bill remarked.
“Yes I did. While there, I noticed her fancy pies. Boy, does she make me feel like slacker, but then she charges almost double.” Annie got out her order pad.
“We can’t take time for lunch, only wanted to fill you in about Lisa Romero.” Sarah went on to tell about Lisa’s involvement in the case and Rachel’s accident.
After the two left, Annie thought to herself, “It’s no wonder Sam didn’t want me talking to her.” Annie felt relieved that she had escaped a confrontation with the killer. Now I need to set things right with Sam.
Chapter 17
Thursday morning at the café was buzzing with the news of Lisa Romero. She was in custody for
killing Bradley Westin. Word was out that she was packing up her vehicle, when Bill and Sarah arrived at her place.
Annie was happy to watch all the locals discuss the case. She felt sad about Brad’s death. This shouldn’t have happened. Last night she phoned the posse members with the latest news. Everyone was relieved that it was over. Some wondered what would happen to the decorator.
Abby, from Sweetwater News was sitting at the counter taking in all the chatter when her phone rang. “Abby, this is Bill. Why don’t you stop by this morning and I will fill you in on the case.” Hanging up she smiled as she paid her bill and then hurried to the police station.
Welcome to Sweetwater (Annie Parker Mystery Shorts Box Set) Page 21