“All right. How do we want to do this?” Detective Smith asked. Heather wasn’t sure if he was talking to Verlander, her or himself.
Verlander interpreted the question for him and answered, “You take her out first. That way I know there won’t be any funny business.”
Detective Smith nodded and carefully took out his gun. He faced Heather.
“I’m going to shoot you now and there’s nothing you can do about it. Oh, and by the way, I didn’t love your donuts. They were only all right.”
Heather understood what he meant. He was going to shoot to the right of her, and she would have to react as if she were shot.
“Do your worst,” Heather said.
Detective Smith knew that he understood her and took the shot. Heather made herself fall to the ground. As she reached it, she heard a second shot.
She looked up and saw what happened. Verlander had relaxed when he thought that Detective Smith was murdering Heather. This gave Peters the chance to duck and Detective Smith the opportunity to turn the gun quickly on Verlander.
Detective Smith hurried over to the body of his old partner with tears in his eyes. “He was a good man before the accident. You can believe that, can’t you?”
“We can,” Heather assured him.
"What I can't believe is that my wife put herself in danger like that," Ryan said. "Offering herself as a hostage."
“I appreciate it,” said Peters.
“I wasn’t really in danger,” Heather said. “I trusted Detective Smith.”
Peters went to call for backup to deal with the situation. The others tried to comfort his partner.
When they were finally ready to leave the crime scene, Amy couldn’t stop herself from saying, “Remember when all this started because nobody wanted to believe me that biking would be hard?”
Retirement
“For he’s a jolly good fellow. For he’s a jolly good fellow. For he’s a jolly good fellow. Which nobody can deny!”
The whole party sang to an embarrassed Detective Smith. His retirement party was in full swing. As promised, Heather had provided a plethora of donuts to cater the event.
“I hope you think the donuts are better than all right,” Heather teased the detective.
“I’m glad you understood my meaning and didn’t think I wasn’t insulting you before I killed you,” he said.
“I’d wager there were some moments that you were annoyed enough with my assisting with investigations-“
“I’d use the term interfering.”
“To want to hurt me,” Heather said. “But I knew you wouldn’t. You’re a good man and a good detective. We’re all going to miss you here.”
“That is,” Amy said, joining them. “If you are going to Pennsylvania.”
“My wife is still pushing for the change, but I don’t think we’ll be in any hurry to make the move,” Detective Smith said. “I’ll still be on the island for a while if you need me. Though I promise not to interfere with any investigations.”
“I’d use the term assist,” said Heather with a smile.
“I know how important a good mentor can be,” Detective Smith said. “And how disappointing it can be when they prove themselves to be the opposite of what you thought they were. But I promise to do my best to never disappoint you. If you ever need advice, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you,” Heather said.
Though he wasn’t really a hugger, Heather thought that this moment called for one. Detective Smith reluctantly agreed, and then he hugged her back tightly.
"I better go mingle with the rest of the guests," he said.
"And figure out a stupid nickname for Peters, so he doesn't feel unappreciated."
He left them, but Detective Peters soon took his spot.
“I don’t know if I ever said this properly,” he told her. “But thank you for helping to save my life.”
“I was happy to.”
“I think it was a defining moment for me too,” Peters informed them. “I saw my life flash before my eyes. And there was still so much I need and want to do. First thing I’m going to do is march right over to Janae and ask if she’s like to go out to dinner with me.”
“Did I hear my name?” Janae asked and came to join them.
“Yes,” Amy said. “We were just talking about you.”
However, Peters didn't follow through on his original proclamation. Instead, he said, "We were talking about bikes."
“I’m glad you brought that up,” Janae said. “Because Heather has been telling me that I need to get back up on my bike and that I can't let this incident stop me from doing what I love. And I think she's absolutely right. I'm going on a bike ride tomorrow. Would anyone like to join me?"
“I think it would be a lovely idea,” Heather said. “Maybe we can get the whole gang together and finish up that tour properly.”
“Fine,” Amy said.
“You’ll come too, won’t you?” Janae asked Peters.
“I suppose a patrol on the island via bicycle would be a good use of my time,” Peters said. “An opportunity to further provide the community with my fine service.”
“Great,” Janae said. “I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
Jane left them in search of more of the Caramel Apple Donuts. Then, Amy gave Peters a look, calling him out for chickening out.
“On second thought, there’s no need to rush,” Peters said, before leaving them as well.
Ryan joined them with a happy grin on his face.
“Good news?” Heather asked.
“I’ll officially take over the detective position tomorrow,” Ryan said. “I was just talking to Chief Chet. I can come in to receive my badge in the morning.”
“That’s perfect,” Heather said. “You’ve been waiting for this.”
“Do you still think I’ll be as good at it here as I was in Hillside?” Ryan asked.
"Yes," Heather assured him. “It’ll be just like riding a bike.”
The End.
To each and every one of my Amazing readers,
I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Let me know what you think by clicking here and leaving a review!
Stay Curious,
Susan Gillard
About the Author
Susan Gillard is a lover of all things mysterious. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where her love of murder mystery novels grew.
Now she travels the country in search of the best baked goods and engaging with the locals who often become the inspiration for her wacky characters
Get In touch with Susan
suangillard.com
[email protected]
Collect your FREE gift!
Click here to grab the free cozy short story “Eva’s Delicious Mystery: A Donut Hole Spin-Off”
* * *
Also by Susan Gillard
Click now to buy on Amazon.com
Click now to buy on Amazon.com
Also by Susan Gillard
Click now to buy on Amazon.com
Click now to buy on Amazon.com
Click now to buy on Amazon.com
To each and every one of my Amazing readers,
I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Let me know what you think by clicking here and leaving a review!
Stay Curious,
Susan Gillard
About the Author
Susan Gillard is a lover of all things mysterious. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where her love of murder mystery novels grew.
Now she travels the country in search of the best baked goods and engaging with the locals who often become the inspiration for her wacky characters
Get In touch with Susan
suangillard.com
[email protected]
Collect your FREE gift!
Click here to grab the free cozy short story “Eva’s Delicious Mystery: A Donut Hole Spin-Off”
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Caramel Apple & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 6 Page 7