Peaches and Cream Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy - Book 41 (Donut Hole Cozy Mystery)

by Susan Gillard

  “No,” Heather said, and plucked the link out of the carpet, bringing a few fibers with it. “It’s from a bracelet. Or a –” She popped upright and slammed into Ryan.

  He grunted and stumbled back into the desk. Amy wobbled on the edge and toppled off, but caught herself before she face planted on the carpet.

  Heather stared at the link in the center of her gloved palm. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Phew.” Amy brushed off her shirt. “I hope whatever you found was worth the effort. I nearly keeled over.”

  “You’re onto something,” Ryan said. “What is it?”

  “This is the link from a necklace. A sterling silver necklace.”

  “That’s – okay? So someone stole a necklace.” Ryan snapped off his gloves, then put them in his pocket. “From behind a filing cabinet.”

  “How did they know it was there?” Amy asked.

  “Because – I can’t believe I didn’t think of this.”

  “Are you lost?” Amy asked Ryan. “I’m lost.”

  “Yeah, give it a minute.”

  Heather paced back and forth across the carpet, those mental puzzle pieces clicking into place. Snap, snip, snap. It had to be the answer. It had to be. “The first day Carly came into my store, she mentioned she’d lost a necklace. She was truly upset about it. She also complained of a sore neck.”

  “And you think the link is from her necklace?” Ryan asked.

  Amy perked up, eyes widening. “Sterling silver. Did she say it was sterling silver?”

  “Specifically, yes. She also said she thought someone had stolen it.”

  “What? Then you think that Shane was the thief?” Ryan asked.

  “No.” Heather shook her head on repeat. “No, no, no. He wasn’t the thief. Why would he hide a necklace behind the cabinet? Let’s be honest here unless the necklace held some kind of world breaking diamond, there’s no reason it’d get stolen. It’s silver.”

  “Right, so – uh – what are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking,” Heather said, and chewed the inside of her cheek. It wasn’t too far out. The puzzle pieces had already clicked and that meant she was on the right track.

  “You’re thinking what?” Amy asked.

  “I’m thinking we need to pay Jean Lafonte a visit, right this second,” Heather said and checked her watch. “And we need Ryan with us.”

  Chapter 16

  Jean’s front door was ajar.

  Shivers ran down Heather’s spine and she checked Ryan was right at her back. For once, she didn’t want to go in alone. Amy hovered at the back of their trio, pale and blinking in the fading light.

  Dusk had arrived and streaked the sky purple, but a sliver of light slipped from inside the house and lit up the front porch.

  “Ready,” Ryan said.

  “Go in quiet,” Heather said. “I don’t like the look of this.”

  They opened the door, Ryan on point, and filed inside. The living room light was on and Jeannie Lafonte was tied to the chair in the middle of the room, struggling against her bindings.

  She worked her lips behind a piece of duct tape and moaned.

  “Oh my gosh.” Heather rushed across the room and set to work on the knots.

  Amy followed her and took hold of one corner of the duct tape. “This might hurt a little,” she said. She ripped it off in one clean movement.

  Heather tore the ropes free and Jeannie lurched out of the chair. “Thank you,” she gasped.

  “What happened?” Amy asked.

  Ryan stuck to the door and blocked the entrance.

  “Where is she?” Heather searched Jean for an answer.

  “She’s in the bathroom. She went in a couple minutes ago. She could be out any second.”

  “And Billy?”

  “At sleepover with a friend,” Jean replied.

  “What is going on?” Amy hissed.

  Heather held up her palm. “Jean, I need you to stay calm no matter what happens, all right? Just stay calm.”

  Ryan pressed his back to the wall and slid along it, halting just short of the entrance to the passage. The bathroom door was shut, light shining through the crack beneath it.

  “What is going on?” Amy repeated.

  “Jeannie’s been messing up our crime scenes,” Heather whispered. “She’s the one who found the necklace.”

  “How did you know?”

  “Because I found this,” Heather said, and removed a plastic bag from her pocket, the link nestled inside. “It belongs to her, doesn’t it?”

  “It does. I – I had to do what she said. She threatened to take Billy away from me. And to do it again. She said she’d go after Hannah next. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Jeannie broke down. Tears streamed down her cheeks and a pang of sympathy beset Heather.

  Why had it come to this?

  “Shoot,” Ryan said. “I think she knows we’re here.” He craned his neck and tilted his ear toward the bathroom. “Yeah, that was a window opening. I’m going to check the outside. Stay in here, together. If you need me, yell.”

  Ryan rushed out of the house but left the front door open behind him. The scents of suburbia crept through the opening, bathing them in home cooked meals and fresh cut grass.

  Jean sat down and placed her head between her palms.

  “Keep an eye on that door,” Heather said.

  Amy took up the position Ryan had just vacated and narrowed her eyes. They’d forgotten to bring the Taser, but with a police officer on the grounds, they’d be fine. It wasn’t as if Carly could surprise them.

  “Jean, please explain this to me,” Heather said. They didn’t have much time before Ryan caught the murderer and took her into custody. Jean would have to go with for aiding and abetting. Hopefully, she’d get out since she’d been threatened into it.

  Heather had to know the truth before it all went down. “Is Billy Shane’s son?”

  “Yes,” Jean said. “I got pregnant a long time ago. My mom was furious. And Shane’s family told him that he had to leave me or they’d disown him. No inheritance, no place to stay. It was at a time when he didn’t have a house.”

  “He felt like he didn’t have a choice,” Heather said. Except he had. He should’ve stuck with Jean and his unborn son.

  “That’s how he felt. He b-broke my heart and I let it happen. I let him go. But I didn’t have anyone to help me out,” Jean whispered. “I had to start from scratch. I slept in my car for the first three months. I got a job and worked all the way up until it was time to give birth.”

  “And then what?”

  “I got an apartment. I was lucky with that. My boss took pity on me and gave me a place to stay.” Jean wiped tears from underneath her eyes. “And now I’ve thrown it all away. You’ve got to understand. I would do anything to protect Billy. Anything. Even if it means doing the wrong thing.”

  “I do understand,” Heather said.

  If she’d had Lilly and their positions had been switched, Heather would’ve done the same. Whatever it took to protect her child.

  “A couple years after I had Billy, Shane came to me with an offer,” Jean whispered. “He said that he could help me out with a job and a house. He felt bad that he’d never been around for his kid.”

  “So he gave you this place?”

  “Yeah. His family was rich and it helped that he’d started his own business. I said yes. I thought Shane would want to be around for Billy, but that wasn’t the case. He – uh, he just wanted to make sure I was financially surviving. And that was it.”

  “I see.”

  “And then Hannah came into the picture and he almost fired me. I know how much she despised me. She thought I wanted to have an affair with him, but it wasn’t true. I didn’t want an affair. I – I guess I just wanted a family. I wanted a real father for my son.” She sobbed.

  Heather looked up at Ames. Her bestie’s face was as moist as her own. She wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her cardigan.

 
“And you told him that,” Heather said.

  “I did. In his office. He hugged me and said he’d done the wrong thing. That he wouldn’t dream of cheating on his wife, but that he felt things with her were over,” Jean said. “That he’d been a fool to leave me because of his parents. That he was in a better position to look after me and Billy. We – he was going to leave her for me.”

  “Oh, heavens.”

  “He made mistakes. We both did. But he was the only man I ever loved. All these years. He was the only one.” Jean choked the words out and Heather drew her into a one-armed hug, still holding out the plastic bag.

  Amy eyed it and whispered, “I still don’t get it. What has that got to do with anything?”

  “Carly lost her necklace,” Heather replied. “And she lost it in Shane’s office.”

  “Are you saying she –?”

  “I murdered the creep,” a voice said.

  Carly Lafonte strolled into the living room, lips pursed.

  Chapter 17

  They’d been so absorbed in Jeannie’s story, they hadn’t heard the bathroom door open or Carly’s footsteps down the hall.

  “I murdered him and I’d do it again, too.”

  “Why?” Amy asked. “I don’t understand how you’re involved.”

  “That’s because you’re dumb as dirt, girl.” Carly held a switchblade and swished it through the air. “Dumb as dirt.”

  “I heard you the first time,” Amy said and backed away from the wall.

  “Now, I take it you two angels came to free my even dumber granddaughter for a reason? You thought she was the murderer?”

  “No,” Heather said, and stared at the murdering wretch of a woman. “I knew it was you the minute I saw the necklace. I figured that Jean might’ve helped you, though.”

  “Ah, at least you’ve got a brain cell or two,” Carly said. “Sit down, girls. Let me tell you a little story about Shane Price. I’m sure you’ll be fascinated by it.”

  Heather nodded to Ames. The two of them sat down either side of Jean on the sofa. They’d buy whatever time they could – Carly clearly didn’t realize that Ryan was on the property, gun, and cuffs in hand.

  Heather forced herself not to look at the front door, in case she gave the game away and Carly bolted.

  “Shane Price and the entire Price family are pieces of, how do I put this. You could flush them down the toilet without a second, though,” Carly said and tested the sharp edge of the blade against her thumb. “Shane got my granddaughter pregnant.”

  “And murdering him is your revenge?” Amy asked.

  “Yes and no. Not only did he get her pregnant, but he planned on leaving his wife to marry her. Can you imagine it?”

  “I fail to see the problem,” Heather said.

  “Billy.” Carly stabbed the blade forward again. “Billy is my grandson and I wasn’t about to let him live with the adulterant, wretch who abandoned him in the first place.”

  “You tried to take Billy from me,” Jean said, and this time her voice shook with an emotion other than sorrow. “I did my best for him and you tried to take him away.”

  “You don’t know how to raise a child, girl. You’re barely fit to look after yourself. He belonged to me,” Carly said. “So I applied to a court of law for custody.”

  “And they rejected you out of hand,” Jean said. “You hadn’t spent more than two hours with Billy.”

  “It’s not right! You can’t raise a child out of wedlock when you’re a child yourself!”

  “Who do you think you are?” Jean screamed. “You missed the first five years of his life and then came into town on your high horse.”

  But Jean had said they visited Carly frequently. That they’d see her every Sunday because it was family time for Billy. “Why do you still see her?”

  “Because I threatened to kill her if she doesn’t,” Carly said, evenly.

  “She must have some kind of mental disability,” Amy whispered. “Normal people don’t want to kill their grandchildren.”

  “Normal women don’t have children out of wedlock,” Carly snapped.

  “Oh ho, taking a knock for feminists everywhere.” Amy rose from her sitting position. “Do you really think we’re scared of you, old lady? You stabbed Shane in the back.”

  “Oh yeah I did,” Carly said. “Walked in there and he ignored me until I slapped him through the face. He thought it’d be funny to rip my necklace off and throw it away. I guess I go the last laugh.” The dazed crazy look in Carly’s eyes set off Heather’s mental alarms.

  This wasn’t a disorder. This woman was a truly evil person. She was cognizant of exactly what she’d done and why she’d done it. Carly was the type of person who had the potential to become something so much worse.

  A serial killer even.

  Heather stood up, as well. “Put the knife down, Carly. It’s over.”

  “It’s not over until I say it’s over.” She took a shambling step forward, the blade jiggling in her grasp. “You should’ve given Billy to me in the beginning, Jean. You brought dishonor on our family.”

  “Stay back,” Jean said and rose from the sofa.

  “I won’t –”

  “Put your hands in the air,” Ryan yelled from the doorway. “Drop your weapon, Mrs. Lafonte.”

  The elderly woman froze, though her plum hair do wiggled. She turned her head to the side. “How did you –?”

  “Drop your weapon!”

  Carly let go of the switchblade. It dropped to the stained carpet and bounced once. Ames kicked it under the sofa, out of reach.

  “I’m afraid,” Heather said, “that the only person who’d brought dishonor on their family is you, Carly.” She hooked an arm around Jean and led her around the outside of the room, past Ryan and out into the night.

  “Oh yeah? Just you wait, Shepherd. I’ll be back. I’ll be back for you and all your little friends.”

  “What a horrible witch,” Amy said and rubbed Jean’s back. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” Jean said. “No. What am I going to do with Billy? I don’t –”

  “Listen, go down to the station with Ryan and get this sorted out. You were forced into helping Carly under duress and there’s proof of that. We all witnessed what happened in there and Ryan did too,” Heather said. “You’re going to be able to strike a plea deal. Don’t worry about, Billy.”

  “He can stay with my mother,” Jean said. “My mother hardly ever sees him but she’s a good person. Better than Carly.” She cleared her throat. “She’ll look after him until this is over.”

  Inside Ryan read Billy’s great-grandmother her rights to the soundtrack of an old woman’s deluded complaints and curses.

  Chapter 18

  “Oh my heavens,” Eva said. “I had no idea she was – how could I have known she might’ve –” The poor woman was at a loss for words. She sat in her Sunday best in Donut Delights, ready to celebrate Amy’s newly acquired private investigator’s license.

  “No one knew,” Heather said. “She was bad to the core. A rotten apple. But on the bright side, Ryan says it’s likely Jean will get off really soon. She’ll be back at home with her son, thank heavens.”

  “That’s a relief.” Eva took a long drink from her milkshake. “She seems like such a lovely girl.”

  “I know Billy,” Lils chirped, from across the table. “He’s a couple grades below me but he’s a nice kid. He draws pictures for the school paper.”

  Heather smiled at her daughter and thanked her lucky stars that Lils had a warm bed to sleep in and friends and family all around her. She’d fixated on that a lot last night and tossed and turned for hours.

  This was one of those cases. It was solved but the outcome was far from happy.

  Jean had lost a man she’d loved. A man who’d made a mistake but wanted to rectify it. And Carly – ugh, she couldn’t even think of the woman.

  “Where’s the guest of honor?” Ryan asked, and slung his arm around Heather’s should
er. “Amy’s missing her own party.”

  “No one seems to mind.” Heather chuckled.

  The other assistants ate Peaches and Cream Donuts and joked around with each other. Maricela plopped a bit of cream onto Angelica’s nose and laughed hysterically, while Ken took photos.

  “She said she needed to go somewhere first,” Heather said. “I’m not sure where, though. She’s been super secretive this week.”

  Ames strode through the door, Jamie behind her as if she’d been summoned by the mention of her name. She held out a copy of the Hillside Reporter. “My work here is done,” she said.

  The assistants applauded at her entrance, though it was for the license not the production of a newspaper.

  “What’s this?” Heather asked, and took it from her best friend.

  “It’s an apology to Heather Shepherd on page 1 of the newspaper, and a retraction of every falsehood that was reported by Lemon,” Amy said.

  Shocked silence spun through the room.

  “Goodness,” Eva breathed. “How on earth did you manage that?”

  Amy clapped her hands. “I thought you’d never ask. Well, I know Heather’s the one who always takes the high road without fault. Some would call her high and mighty. I think she’s just a pacifist.”

  “You’re right there,” Heather said. She had too many negative thoughts about people like Carly and Hannah Price to be high and mighty. She scanned the page and lost her breath.

  “And I’m not the kind of person who takes any type of high road,” Amy said, raising her voice. “As we all know.”

  Ken nodded sagely.

  Maricela burst out laughing. “You dump ice down my back last week.”

  “Precisely,” Amy said. “So I decided to put my underhanded side to use. Call it vigilantism, call it brilliance. Note, I prefer brilliance, but I put it to use.”

  “How?” Ryan asked the corners of his lips on constant twitch-mode. He oscillated between disapproval and humor whenever Ames was around.

  “I stalked Kate Laverne. I stalked her until I’d seen so much of her I had dreams about the woman,” Amy said and shuddered. “And then it happened.”

  “What?” Lilly asked. She slurped on the end of her straw.