Caramel Sundae & Murder

by Susan Gillard

  "Tom Horn isn't dead," said Heather.

  "At least not yet," said Amy quietly.

  "He isn't?" Said Melissa. "When you said attacked, I assumed that's what you meant. Because of what happened to Vanessa. I'm glad he's all right. I don't think he's behind this."

  "We know that he's involved somehow," said Heather. "But we are trying to figure out how."

  "How do you know he's involved?" Asked Melissa, setting the photo down.

  "Because he took Skip to be cleaned. The dog had blood on him, so it had to be after Vanessa Horn was killed."

  "He always did love that dog," said Melissa. "What's happened to Skip now?"

  "Don't worry," Amy said. "He's in good hands. He'll be taken care of until everything is settled with what happened to his owners."

  "If Skip really was there when Vanessa was killed, he might develop some issues," Melissa said thinking about it. "What if he becomes paranoid about people?"

  "The person caring for him as a professional," Amy said. "You don't have to worry."

  "Well, there’s one thing I don't have to worry about," Melissa said dabbing her eyes. "I'm just so upset about what happened to Vanessa. And now to Tom."

  "I hope you're not too upset to finish telling us where you were at the time of Vanessa's death?" Heather said gently.

  "I'm sorry. I should've answered before instead of getting sidetracked. I was working from home that day. I actually work from home every day, sending emails, filling orders, and that sort of thing. I still work normal business hours though. That's where was when this happened to Vanessa. It's probably where I was when Tom was attacked too."

  "Thank you for answering our questions," Heather said.

  "That was no problem," Melissa said. "And if you have to believe it was someone that knew her, I look into Tom's brother Johnny. He's the only one I could see doing this terrible thing."

  The Brother

  After speaking to Melissa, Heather made sure to update Ryan on their progress. He agreed that talking to Tom's brother Johnny was a good idea and began searching for the man's address. He also told them about what he had been up to. He had been running the fingerprints found at both of the crime scenes through databases and also trying to determine if there were matches between prints that were found at both locations.

  So far nothing that he found had come up in the databases. Tom's fingerprints were found at Vanessa's house. However since they used to live together as a married couple, it wasn't completely unexpected. There was a set of prints that were found at both locations, but Ryan had not been able to determine who it belonged to.

  By the time they finished their phone call of updates, Ryan had found Johnny Horn's address. Heather and Amy planned on talking to him while Ryan was going to talk with the doctors about Tom Horn's prognosis.

  Heather was glad that Ryan didn't want to waste any time and wasn't having them wait until after his meeting with the medical professionals so he could join with the questioning. She knew that if she and Amy uncovered anything during their interview that the detectives would bring Johnny Horn into the police interrogation room.

  However after Heather and Amy determined that Johnny wasn't home, she began to feel discouraged.

  As Heather and Amy piled back into their car, Heather sighed.

  "I'm not sure where he is," she said trying not to sound too disheartened "Ryan cannot find a record of where he worked."

  "Probably because he made his money from illegal means," Amy said. "That's what Melissa implied."

  "It's possible that Johnny is just at the store," Heather said. "But it's also possible that he's already skipped town."

  "You mean like he killed Vanessa and attacked his brother? And then ran away?" Asked Amy. "Yeah, I’d have skipped town after that too."

  Heather started up the car and began driving home. She wasn't quite sure where else to go for the next step of their investigation. She was thinking that she would check on how Lilly was doing with Eva and Leila, and how Skip was faring with Jamie when she received a call from Ryan again.

  She answered the call on speakerphone and Amy held it up so the two of them could talk.

  "Did you miss me?" Heather asked with a laugh, knowing that not much time had passed since the last call.

  "Whenever we're not together," Ryan said.

  "Okay. Don't get too mushy," Amy said. "I can hear the whole conversation since we're still in the car."

  "And I'm afraid I don't have anything new to report," Heather said. "Johnny Horn was not his home."

  "I know that," Ryan said.

  "How?" Asked Amy. "Sorry. I should let you two talk."

  "I realize that Johnny Horn wasn't home because he's here at the hospital."

  "Is he still there?" Asked Heather.

  "Yes," said Ryan.

  "We'll be right over," Heather said.

  When Heather entered the waiting room of the hospital, she immediately identified Johnny Horn. It was partly because she could tell that Detective Peters was keeping an eye on him, and partly because of the family resemblance between Johnny and Tom.

  Detective Peters gave a nod as they entered. He disappeared for a moment and returned with Ryan.

  The four investigators approached Johnny Horn. He looked up in alarm.

  "I know you police need to keep an eye on Tom because you think he did something," Johnny said rising from his seat. "But there's no reason for you to harass me. My brother is in the hospital. You shouldn't be upsetting me like this."

  "We don't mean to upset you," said Heather. "We want to figure out who did this to him. Don't you want that too?"

  "I do want that," Johnny said, seeming to calm down a little and taking his seat again. "I just don't want you to try and railroad me for this crime."

  "Why would we do that?" Asked Ryan.

  "I know that's how it works," Johnny said. "I've been in trouble before."

  "I know," Ryan said. "I've done a little digging on you. You haven't committed any violent crimes before."

  "That's right," Johnny said defiantly.

  "You have been involved in some minor robberies," said Ryan.

  "So?"

  "So," Amy said. "Vanessa's jewels were robbed."

  "I would never rob Vanessa," Johnny said. "She used to be my sister-in-law. I would never do anything to hurt family."

  "So you're saying you wouldn't do this to your brother either?" Said Amy.

  "I love my brother," said Johnny. "If you knew anything about me you know that I would kill for him."

  "Interesting choice of words," said Amy.

  "I told you I didn't hurt Vanessa," Johnny said angrily.

  Heather tried to calm him down. "I want to believe you. It's just because of your record of robberies that we need to ask these questions. Do you have an alibi for either of these times?"

  "Actually, I do," Johnny said crossing his arms. "I was out of town all week. I just came back when I heard that my brother was in the hospital."

  "Is this something that we can check on?" Asked Detective Peters.

  "Yeah. You can check my hotel reservations. I was in Jersey."

  "And why were you there?" Asked Heather.

  It was then that Johnny seemed to deflate.

  "I was visiting some friends for a job. I'm not sure they're gonna want to talk about what we were doing."

  The detectives exchanged a look.

  "The important thing is that we figure out what happened to the Horns," said Heather. "Do you know anyone that would want to hurt them? Or anyone that has an eye on their jewels?"

  "I can't think of anyone that would want to hurt them," Johnny said. "But, now that you mention it, I know that Tom did say that his one friend Tony was interested in the jewels."

  "Do you know his last name?" Asked Detective Peters.

  Johnny shook his head. "I just remember that Tony was interested in the jewels and wanted to buy them. Tom was upset that Vanessa got to keep them in the divorce because he
could have sold them for money. There are even a few pieces that he hadn't gotten around to giving Vanessa formally as a gift yet."

  "Are you sure those gifts were for her?" Asked Heather. "Was it possible that your brother was having an affair?"

  "He never told me about it," Johnny said. "But there was a time or two that I thought I smelled perfume on him. It didn't match Vanessa's brand. It smells like flowers."

  "Will be looking into your alibi," said Ryan. "But thank you for answering our questions."

  "Wait. I got one question for you," said Johnny. "Is Skip all right? This bad guy got Vanessa and Tom. Did he get there dog too?"

  "No," Heather assured him. "Skip is all right."

  "But I sure wish you could talk right now," said Amy. "Because I bet he'd have all the answers to this case."

  Pondering

  The four investigators returned to the police station return to the police station after making sure that a uniformed officer was keeping an eye on Tom Horn.

  Heather was glad that she had some Caramel Sundae Donuts in her car that she could offer to her friends. She normally tried to keep some donuts with her when she travels in case they were needed. Because of the whipped cream on top of these donuts, she placed them inside a cooler in her car. The result was that these donuts were now chilled. It was still a pleasant result.

  "I'm usually a fan of donuts right out of the oven or fryer," said Amy. "I like these ones cold because it makes them taste even more like ice cream."

  Detective Peters tried to agree, but his mouth was too full of the snack. Heather took it as a compliment anyway.

  "I'm glad I have this delicious distraction when we have such a difficult case to work on," said Ryan. "I'll do a little online research to see if Tom is linked to a Tony on social media or through work. Maybe we can figure out who the Tony that his brother was referring to is."

  "That's a great idea," said Heather. "Because I feel like there are too many possible scenarios for what could've happened in these crimes. And not enough suspects."

  "I'll see if I can verify Johnny Horn's alibi," Detective Peters said as he finished his donut. "I'll track down the hotel he said and see if anyone working there remembers seeing him."

  "Well, while you two fine officers follow those leads," Amy said. "I'm gonna sit here and stuff my face. I'm not sure what the next step for us is. But I know the next step for me is to enjoy this caramel."

  Heather chuckled. "Let's talk about the case while we eat and see if any new ideas come out. We will also be close by if Ryan or Detective Peters make any new discoveries."

  "I like the sound of that," Amy agreed. "It makes my desire to sit here and eat sound more productive and noble."

  "Johnny Horn does seem like a link between Vanessa and Tom," Heather said thinking aloud. "Johnny has been arrested for theft before. He could have tried to rob Vanessa, but things went wrong. He ended up killing her. Tom didn't want to turn his brother into the police, so he decided to help him. He wanted to make sure that Skip was cleaned off."

  "And then Johnny killed Tom? Or at least tried to?" Asked Amy. "Why?"

  "Maybe Tom was having second thoughts about covering up for a killer," suggested Heather. "Or maybe Johnny wasn't the caring brother that he pretended to be in the hospital waiting room."

  "I don't know," Amy said. "I could see him robbing Vanessa. But I can't see him trying to kill his brother."

  "Maybe it was his friend Tony," said Heather. "Maybe the scenario I described did happen, but it was Tony who attempted the robbery."

  Ryan piped up from behind his computer screen. "I feel like will have a better idea if that's true once we figure out who this Tony is."

  "True," said Heather. "But I guess there is something wrong with what I just described."

  "What?" Asked Amy. "Was the part about him not killing his brother?"

  "It's all about Skip," said Heather as she took a few more thoughtful bites of her donut. "Why did Tom have to bring him to the grooming van?"

  "I thought that was the one part we figured out," said Amy. "Tom needed to make sure that Skip was cleaned off. He couldn't have blood on the dog's fur. So he got the dog muddy and brought him to a professional groomer."

  "I know that's what we were thinking," said Heather. "But if Tom caught Johnny or Tony killing his wife, why did you have to bring the dog to the grooming van? Why couldn't he have washed Skip himself?"

  Amy thought about it and then shook her head. "I don't know."

  "Maybe if Tom was the one to commit the murder, then he brought the dog to the van because he didn't expect to be able to keep him. But he wanted to make sure that the dog was in safe hands."

  "You mean that he was going to leave town and couldn't bring Skip with them because he was going on the run?" Asked Amy.

  "Yes." Heather nodded. "If he planning on bringing Skip with him, he could have washed him in the backyard with the hose. Instead of making mud for him to roll in."

  "So he was abandoning him with Jamie?" Amy said. "He didn't think that he would see him again because he was going to go on the run."

  "However, he stopped before he could leave town," said Heather. "But who could have done that?"

  "I think we should have Detective Peters check on Melissa's alibi too," said Amy. "We should see if she really was working at the time of the murder."

  "Yes. If she's working from home, we might be able to trace emails or phone calls she made."

  "And there's also Mrs. Biddle to consider," said Amy. "Maybe she wanted those jewels for her cats."

  Heather nearly choked on her donut as she laughed at the visual image of all of the cats wearing fancy jewelry.

  Detective Peters came back to join them reported what he found out.

  "The hotel can back up Johnny Horn's alibi," Said Peters. "They had a record of his check in six days ago, and he just checked out yesterday. The description they have of him matches, and so does the number on his driver's license."

  "So, it does seem like he was out of town," Heather said.

  "We've lost the suspect," said Amy.

  However, then Ryan got up from his computer and moves closer.

  "We might have gained a new one now," Ryan said. "I think I found Tony."

  In the Interrogation Room

  "Thank you for coming in," Ryan said.

  "It's not like I much of a choice," responded Tony. "I could either come here, or you could bother me at my place of work."

  "And what an interesting place of work," said Amy.

  Tony crossed his arms and glared at the investigators. He had agreed to come in and answer their questions. However, he didn't like being on the opposite side of the table in the interrogation room. Maybe he didn't like that there were four people there to ask him questions too.

  "What's wrong with where I work?" Tony asked gruffly.

  "Nothing," said Amy. "It's the perfect place to try and sell some jewelry. Maybe your friend's jewelry?"

  "Who is this lady again?" Asked Tony.

  "She is one of a pair of talented investigators who have helped us with multiple cases," said Ryan. "And I would think if you cared about your friend lying in the hospital, you might want as much help as possible on this case."

  "Of course I want to help," Tony said, sounding like he didn't want help at all. "I want to do what I can for Tom."

  "Did you know his ex-wife Vanessa?" Asked Heather.

  "Sure, I did," said Tony. "I've been friends with Tom for years. He and Vanessa used to have me over for dinner. "

  "Did they have a good relationship?" Asked Detective Peters.

  "At first," Tony said with a shrug. "I mean, they are divorced now. But I don't think they would ever get violent with each other. Even after the divorce where she got everything. Tom would still see her every once in a while to visit the dog."

  "He really did love Skip," said Amy.

  "You got that right," Tony said nodding. "He was upset that Vanessa got to keep him. But she
had the better yard. And he did tell me once that he thought it might be better for the dog not to have to change homes in addition to losing one of his owners."

  "We also heard that Tom was upset about not getting any of the jewelry in the settlement," said Heather.

  "We thought that was unusual," said Amy. "Because we're not sure how Tom would look in a big necklace."

  "I don't know what's so weird about it," said Tony. "Shouldn't he want half of everything? Isn't that his prerogative? And not all the jewelry was meant for her."

  "What do you mean?" Asked Detective Peters.

  "Was Tom really having an affair?" Asked Heather. "We heard that was one of the reasons why Vanessa wanted to end things. However, so far, no one we spoke to was able to verify it."

  "Well, I can verify it for you," Tony said with a smirk. "Tom told me he was fooling around with someone. But he wouldn't tell me who. I didn't know why it was a secret. I guessed it was someone at work."

  "You still have no idea who it was he was seeing?" Asked Ryan.

  Tony shook his head. "I thought he might've told me after the divorce. But he still wouldn't. Didn't bother me though. As long as it was with my wife, I didn't care."

  "Do you know if he was still seeing her?" Asked Heather.

  She began to think about it. If Tom did have a secret girlfriend, then she might've been the one to attack either Vanessa or Tom.

  "I'm not sure," Tony said. "Tom didn't talk about her as much after the divorce. Maybe it was not as exciting anymore."

  "Charming," Amy commented.

  "We heard that the reason that Tom wanted the jewels was because he was going to sell them to you," said Heather.

  "That might've been the case," Tony said, nodding. "I did offer to take them off his hands. I thought he could use the money. And it is my business to buy and sell jewels. I thought I could help out a friend."

  "Where the jewels valuable?" Asked Detective Peters.

  "Definitely," said Tony.