Peanut Butter and Jelly Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 54

by Susan Gillard

  Hoskins narrowed his eyes, trying to determine if this was a trap. However, his sweet tooth won out, and he agreed to go. Once free, he practically ran out of the antiques shop. Heather was surprised he didn’t turn his siren on to get to the donuts faster.

  “Was that charity or to get him out of our hair?” Amy asked.

  “A little of both,” Heather said. “It’s hard to count silver spoons when he’s complaining.”

  When Hoskins returned with the donuts, the force was in better spirits. However, the late night ended on a sour note. Absolutely nothing was missing from the inventory.

  “I don’t understand,” Heather said, as everyone started to make their departure. “How can nothing be missing?”

  “Maybe it wasn’t a robbery,” Ryan said. “Maybe the killing was personal.”

  “But who would want to kill Aunt Amelia?” Amy asked.

  “I have no idea,” Heather said. “I guess that’s a problem we’ll have to sleep on.”

  “Good idea,” said Amy. “Because I’m exhausted. I’ll sleep on this for a good, long time.”

  ***

  Heather still felt tired the next day. However, she made sure that she was ready for a walk with her pets. Her doggy friend, Dave, had been feeling ignored of late. Heather had to admit that she had been busy lately: tracking down killers, creating new recipes, and having a long fruitless search through an antique shop’s inventory. She needed to make sure that her furry best friend knew she loved him, and the best way to show this was with a nice long walk. Her semi-recent feline family member was also part of the walk. The kitten Cupcake liked to think she was a dog and follow Dave around as they sniffed their way around town.

  Her human companions for her walk included Lilly, Amy, and Amy’s boyfriend Jamie. Jamie loved animals as much as he loved Amy, and he liked to join their walks when he could. They talked about summer plans they would like to squeeze in, and Lilly told them about a new story she was writing.

  Then Lilly and Cupcake became interested in chasing a butterfly. Dave was sticking close to Heather’s side and was mastering the command “heel” without even being told it.

  “I think he missed me,” Heather said.

  “Well, let’s try and solve this case quickly so that you can have some extra time to spend with Dave and I can spend some time with Jamie,” said Amy.

  “Are you implying that I’m your dog?” Jamie asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

  “I wasn’t,” Amy laughed. “But you are very loyal.”

  Heather smiled at her friends and then her thoughts drifted back to the case. “If it wasn’t a robbery to take something valuable, then why would someone want to hurt Aunt Amelia?”

  “Do you think she wasn’t as nice as she seemed?” Amy asked.

  “It’s possible,” Heather said. “Though no one deserves to get murdered, even if they’re mean.”

  “Did she have any family that could have done it?” Jamie asked, trying to contribute.

  “No,” Heather said. “Ryan said that her only family was on the east coast. They weren’t very close and don’t seem to have a motive. He’ll check to make sure that didn’t travel, but it doesn’t seem likely.”

  “Then maybe it was somebody who worked at her shop,” Jamie said. “An employee.”

  “She only mentioned having one,” Heather said.

  “The guy who used to go upstairs for her,” said Amy.

  “And he hadn’t been in for weeks,” said Heather. “Maybe it’s time to figure out why.”

  Dave barked in enthusiasm for the plan.

  Chapter 9

  Dave wagged his tail joyously, pleased that he had gotten to tag along to an interrogation. He had worked on many cases with Heather and Amy before but recently had been staying home to watch over Lilly and Cupcake. However, Jamie had taken over this responsibility for the afternoon, so the rest of them were able to talk to Aunt Amelia’s former employee.

  “What do you want?” He asked at the door.

  Heather was surprised by his appearance. When Aunt Amelia had called him a boy that worked for her, she was expecting a baby-faced teenager to answer the door. Instead, Bobby Hall turned out to be large and muscular. He was still somewhat young but looked like he was in his early twenties instead of in high school.

  “Are you the Bobby Hall that worked at Aunt Amelia’s Antiques?” Heather asked.

  “Who wants to know?” He said gruffly, keeping the door only slightly ajar.

  “I’m Heather Shepherd, and this is Amy Givens. We’re private investigators,” she began.

  “I didn’t take anything,” he said. “Why are private investigators after me?”

  He started to close the door, but Heather said quickly, “We’re not investigating a robbery.”

  “Unfortunately,” Amy mumbled. “That would have been easier.”

  “We’re working with the Hillside Police and investigating the murder of Amelia Seward.”

  “Aunt Amelia is dead?” Bobby asked. He looked genuinely shocked, but then resumed trying to close his door. “Well, that doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

  Dave scratched at the door, and Bobby paused. Instead of shutting it, he knelt down and started petting the dog’s white fur. Suddenly the big muscular guy looked much more vulnerable.

  Heather and Amy exchanged a look. He reminded them of another tough guy that they had dealt with in the past. At first Geoff Lawless had acted like a thug, but now the big man was Jamie’s boss at a pet grooming boutique. It seemed as if Dave was having a similar sweetness effect on Bobby.

  “You said she was murdered?” Bobby asked as he continued to give Dave attention.

  “Yes,” Heather said.

  “What did he take?” asked Bobby.

  “What do you mean?” Heather asked, trying to keep Bobby talking.

  “What did the robber take?”

  “We already told you,” Amy said. “We’re not investigating a robbery. This was murder. No theft.”

  “You’re sure nothing was stolen?” Bobby asked in disbelief.

  “Yes,” Amy said, dryly. She didn’t go into the details about how long and extensive their inventory had been.

  “Why do you ask?” Heather said.

  Bobby was about to retreat back into the house, but Dave took a step forward. Bobby pet the dog again.

  “Just because it’s, you know, an antique shop,” Bobby said.

  Heather knew that Bobby was still keeping something secret. She needed to get his guard down. “I realized I never introduced Dave to you,” she said.

  “Dave? That’s a funny name. It’s not Rex, or Spike or Butch?”

  “Does he look like a Rex to you?”

  “No,” Bobby admitted. “More like a Fluffy.”

  Dave snorted through his nose as if to scoff at the idea. However, he allowed Bobby to keep petting him.

  “He’s a little chubby right now because his favorite food is donuts,” Heather said. “And I think he’s been sneaking some.”

  Dave laughed, and Heather thought she might be able to get him to talk about the case again.

  “Why were you so sure that something was stolen?” she asked again.

  “Because somebody asked me to steal something,” he admitted. “But I didn’t do it.”

  “Who was it?”

  “I didn’t get a good look at him. I think that was intentional. He approached me when I was taking the trash out at the shop one day. He stood in the shadows. He asked if I wanted to make a lot of money by having an item get misplaced in the store. He said I deserved some money since Aunt Amelia was sitting on a gold mine.”

  “And what did you say?” Amy asked.

  “I said no,” Bobby said. “Aunt Amelia was actually like an aunt. I wasn’t going to rob her.”

  “And then what did he do?” Heather asked.

  “He just left.”

  “What did he want you to steal?” asked Heather.

  “He didn�
�t say,” Bobby said. “If I said yes he would have told me.”

  “That seems like a motive,” Amy said.

  “Yes,” said Heather. “But nothing was stolen.”

  “I should have stayed with her,” Bobby said. “But what the guy said started to bug me. I didn’t want to rob her. But I did start to resent that there were so many valuable things in the store, and I wasn’t getting a big cut of it. I asked Aunt Amelia for a raise, but she said that she would have to consider it. When it didn’t happen right away, I just stopped going to work.”

  Bobby looked very upset, and it was clear that he felt guilty about what had happened.

  “Were there any customers that she had problems with?” Heather asked, changing the subject a bit. “Maybe it was because someone was seeking revenge for a deal they thought was unfair?”

  “I think there were a few problem people,” Bobby said. “I kept a list of their names in case we had to ban them from the shop. I’ll go get it.”

  Bobby gave Dave another pat on the head and then went inside.

  “If someone tried to get Bobby to rob the shop, that could be a huge clue,” Amy said.

  “It’s also possible that Bobby is lying to cover his own tracks,” Heather said. “He is big and strong enough to have strangled Amelia and carry her up the ladder.”

  “I forgot about how difficult it must have been to carry her up the ladder,” said Amy. “Even if she is a small woman.”

  “Then again, Dave seems to like him,” Heather said. Dave normally had good instincts about people.

  Bobby returned with the list of customers.

  “These are the names of the people who gave Aunt Amelia a hard time,” he said.

  Heather and Amy looked over the list of three customers while Bobby scratched an appreciative Dave’s belly. There was a name they found very interesting on the list: Taryn Turner.

  Chapter 10

  “If I was going to kill Amelia, why would I invite private investigators to her shop right before I did it?” Taryn Turner said.

  “We didn’t say you killed Amelia Seward,” Ryan said.

  “But you’re thinking it,” Taryn said. “I remember this from the last time around.”

  She crossed her arms and sat back in her seat. She was in the interrogation room with Ryan, Heather, and Amy. Heather had to admit that Taryn Turner had a point. They had considered her the prime suspect in a murder case before, and she had learned how thorough they were. However, being innocent of one crime didn’t mean that she was innocent of all future crimes. It was their job to bring her in for questioning.

  “We heard that you and Aunt Amelia had an altercation,” Heather said. “We have to look into it.”

  “It wasn’t an altercation,” Taryn said. “It was a disagreement.”

  “Bobby Hall said that it got pretty heated,” Amy said. She was taking notes of the questioning on a tablet but liked to contribute to the proceedings.

  “Who’s Bobby Hall?” Taryn asked.

  “He was Amelia Seward’s assistant,” Ryan said.

  “Oh,” Taryn said. “But he hasn’t been there in a while. He quit or something. My disagreement was a while ago while he was still there.”

  “Why don’t you tell us about this disagreement?” Ryan said.

  “It’s not worth killing over,” Taryn said.

  Heather started to get memories of how evasive Taryn Turner had been during questioning the last time they had suspected her. At least this time she wasn’t trying to convince them to let her remodel a house for them.

  “What did you disagree about?” Heather asked.

  “The price of some items,” Taryn said. “I was designing a house with a farm motif. I’ve gone to Aunt Amelia’s Antiques for years. She had always given me a fair price. Then the last time I went to her, she tried to overcharge me. She said farming equipment had become more popular and she had to raise the price. I was offended. Firstly, I felt like I was starting the farm motif trend. And secondly, I had been a loyal customer for years. Why was she trying to cheat me?”

  “And how did Amelia take this?” Heather asked.

  “She just said the price was the price and I was welcome to leave if I didn’t want to buy anything. So, I took her up on the offer,” Taryn replied.

  “Then why did you send us to see her?” Heather asked, confused by the motivation.

  “Because I realized that it was stupid to get into a feud with the best antiques shop in the city,” Taryn said. “I wanted to be able to shop there again, so I recommended some customers, so she knew that I wanted to make peace. And it was a good recommendation, wasn’t it? You did find something for the house?”

  “They did,” Heather admitted, without wanting to be pulled into a decorative conversation.

  “I knew they would,” Taryn said. “Amelia had such wonderful items for home décor. That’s why I wanted to make peace with her. They said they found a vase, right?”

  “Yes. And it will look great,” Heather said. “But we’re not here to discuss the house. We’re here to discuss your possible involvement in a crime.”

  “And did you find something too?” Taryn asked Amy.

  Amy tried to hide behind her notes on the tablet but felt Taryn’s eyes stay on her. Amy finally spoke and said, “Yes. I found a pretty cool desk for my place.”

  “You know that if your place needs any other improvements, I’d be happy to help,” Taryn said. “I’d be pleased to take on any project. Not matter how big or small. Taryn down walls? No problem.”

  “Please don’t use that phrase again,” Amy said. “And like I said before, I’m going to rent.”

  “You could get me in touch with your landlord,” Taryn said. “Maybe I could convince him that the renovations you want are necessary. Landlords often appreciate small projects that can be done that increase the value of the property.”

  “This is neither the time nor the place,” Ryan said, sharply. “You’re not here to discuss business. You’re here to tell us about a murder victim.”

  “I haven’t seen her in a few weeks,” Taryn said. “I don’t know anything about her death, except that it’s sad.”

  “You don’t seem upset,” Amy said.

  “I am,” Taryn said. “Both because she was a nice lady, and because I don’t know what is going to all those fabulous antiques. I hope they don’t leave Hillside.”

  “Where were you on Sunday night?” Ryan asked.

  “Sunday night?” Taryn asked. “I’m not sure.”

  “You’re not sure?” Heather asked.

  “I’ve been working on a lot of projects,” Taryn explained. “I don’t remember exactly where I was at a specific time at a specific date. I’ve been here and there and building walls.”

  “Maybe you could try and pin down your whereabouts that night,” Ryan said. “Seeing as that would be your alibi for the murder.”

  “I’ll try and figure it out,” Taryn said, a little more subdued.

  “Thank you for your time,” Ryan said. “We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions.”

  “All right. I hope you catch the person responsible.” And she just couldn’t stop herself from saying to Amy, “And I was serious. If you’d like to give me your landlord’s contact information, I’d be happy to work with him.”

  ***

  “What do you think?” Ryan asked after Taryn had left them in the interrogation room.

  “I think I’m glad I don’t own the house,” Amy said. “She’d have already begun renovations.”

  They chuckled.

  Then Ryan said, “But is she a real suspect?”

  “It’s hard to tell,” Heather said. “She’s been really good to Eva and Leila about rebuilding their house. She never tried to take advantage of them. But you can also see how competitive she is. It’s possible an argument could have escalated.”

  “I agree,” Amy said. “I’d put her in our maybe pile. The fact that should couldn’t give us an alibi is
the most damaging piece of evidence, but it is possible that she really can’t remember where she was.”

  “I think we have some more angry customers that we should interview,” Heather said.

  Chapter 11

  “Do you mind if we ask you some questions?” Heather asked after introducing herself and Amy to another customer on their list.

  Mae Hoolihan was a tall woman with a distrusting face. She peered at them through the door and accepted their offer to show them some identification. She allowed them into her house and walked them towards the sitting area.