Greg waggled his pointer finger. “Wait a minute. Do you really think I’d make up a story about playing video games all night?”
“I don’t know what you would or wouldn’t do,” Joe said. “I try to only concern myself with the facts. In this case, the one that stands out is how you don’t have anyone to corroborate your alibi.”
“Alibi?” Greg asked. “This is nuts. I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s what you say. But the fact is that someone killed April—”
Greg cut Joe off. “Yeah. Someone else.”
Joe shot Greg a glare. “Let me finish.”
Greg gulped. “Right. Sorry.”
“From what we hear, you had a serious crush on April,” Joe said.
“I wouldn’t say it was serious,” Greg replied.
“Do I have to tell you what the consequences are of lying to a police detective?” Joe asked.
Greg revised his story. “All right. I admit it. I really liked her. Which is all the more reason not to suspect me. I would never hurt her.”
I spoke up. “You’d be surprised what people do when their feelings aren’t reciprocated.”
“No, I’m not like that,” Greg said.
“It would sure be a lot easier to believe you if you had an alibi,” Joe said. “Since you don’t, we have no choice but to suspect you.”
“You can suspect me all you want. But it’s not going to change the fact that I had nothing to do with her death. Period,” Greg said.
Chapter Nine
Wesley Wilkerson was a goateed forty-three-year-old with a trim body, a handsome face, and an oversized ego. He worked at Ziggy’s Supermarket on Oakwood Boulevard. Not only was Ziggy’s the biggest grocery store in Hollywood, it was also April Gilbert’s former workplace.
Wesley was giving one of the cashiers an earful as Joe and I entered the store. Normally, we would have gone right over and begun interviewing him. We decided to take a different approach this time. Joe and I headed to the back of the store where the general manager’s office was located. After a ten-minute discussion with the manager, we made our way to the front of the store again, pulled Wesley aside, and explained to him why we were there.
Wesley’s muscles tensed up as Joe relayed the news of April’s murder. I watched Wesley’s body language closely as he mentioned how shocked he was. Whether his reaction was genuine or just an act was yet to be determined.
There were a number of different directions that Joe could have taken the conversation next. Instead of diving straight into the hard-hitting questions, he surprisingly opted to focus on grocery store-related matters.
“Your boss told us you just got a big promotion,” Joe said.
Wesley’s face filled with frustration. “Wait a minute. You talked to my boss?”
Joe nodded. “Is that a problem?”
“No. I’m just confused about why you did that,” Wesley said.
“It’s my job to gather as much information as possible. For example, the fact that April beat you out for this very promotion last month,” Joe said.
“I know what you’re thinking, and don’t go reading too far into things. It’s just a coincidence that she died a month after getting promoted over me,” Wesley said.
“Maybe you’re right. But there’s no denying that you have profited from her death,” Joe said.
“In more ways than one,” I said. “From what I was told, this new promotion of yours comes with a sizable pay increase.”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” Wesley said.
“What’s the matter? Is this conversation making you uncomfortable?” I asked.
Wesley shook his head. “No. It’s just that you seem to be drawing a whole bunch of misleading conclusions.”
“Fine. I’ll just focus on the facts then. Like your engagement to Vikki Watson,” Joe said.
Wesley shrugged. “What does that have to do with this discussion?”
“You two are probably in the middle of planning your wedding—” Joe started to say.
Wesley interrupted. “Why are you bringing that up?”
“Because everyone knows that weddings aren’t cheap. I’ll bet the extra money you’re making from your new promotion is going to come in handier than ever now,” Joe said.
Wesley scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You think I killed April to pay for my wedding?”
“No,” Joe said.
“Good. Because that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Wesley said.
“This promotion comes with all sorts of benefits. Of course, the pay raise is great, but joining the ranks of management means you’re also finally getting the respect that you’ve been so desperately craving ever since joining Ziggy’s,” Joe said.
“You sure have a way of twisting the facts around,” Wesley said.
“Actually, those were your boss’s words, not mine. So if you have a problem with what I just said, take it up with him,” Joe said.
Wesley gritted his teeth. When he saw Joe staring him down, Wesley tried to look as unbothered as possible. “That’s okay. It doesn’t matter what my boss said.”
“Why not?” Joe asked.
“Because nothing is going to change the fact that I didn’t have anything to do with April’s death,” Wesley said.
“That’s a pretty strong denial,” Joe said.
“It’s more than that. It’s the truth,” Wesley said.
“If that’s really the case, there’s one easy way of proving that,” Joe said.
“How?” Wesley asked.
“By answering this question,” Joe said.
“All right. Fire away,” Wesley said.
“Were you with your fiancé last night?” Joe asked.
Wesley’s eyebrows knitted. “Why does that matter?”
“Will you please just answer the question?” Joe said.
“I’d be happy to…when you tell me why you asked it in the first place,” Wesley said.
“I want to know where you were last night,” Joe said.
Wesley bit his lip. “You mean, you’re trying to find out if I have an alibi for the time of April’s murder.”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Joe said.
“So do you?” I asked.
“I didn’t know I needed one,” Wesley said.
“Is that a no?” Joe asked.
“Vikki and I had dinner together,” Wesley said. “Are you happy now?”
“That depends. What time did you leave dinner?” Joe said.
“Around eleven o’clock,” Wesley said.
“Really?” Joe said.
Wesley nodded.
“And Vikki will be able to confirm that?” Joe asked.
“Of course,” Wesley said.
If he was telling the truth, it put him in the clear. According to the medical examiner, April had died between ten and eleven. Still, Vikki being able to verify that alibi was a big question mark.
Joe and I would question Vikki shortly. In the meantime, we continued with Wesley.
“What did you do after dinner?” Joe said.
“I dropped Vikki off at her place then headed home,” Wesley said.
“Did you happen to swing by April Gilbert’s house on the way?” Joe said.
Wesley shook his head. “No. Now, are we done here?”
“For the moment,” Joe said.
“Good,” Wesley said.
Wesley’s smug smile rubbed me the wrong way. But with the scales tipped toward him being innocent, I had to shelve my feelings.
Chapter Ten
Joe and I didn’t even have to leave the grocery store to speak with the next suspect on our list. Vikki Watson was working at one of the registers when we pulled her aside. We made sure to bring Vikki outside as we didn’t want Wesley to see us with her. Nor did we want him to be able to interfere with us questioning her.
Vikki was a red-haired, voluptuous, forty-two-year-old who had freckles on the cheeks of her round f
ace. But the thing that stood out the most about her was the sparkling diamond ring on her finger.
So while Joe revealed the news of April’s death to Vikki, I focused on other matters entirely.
“How many carats is it?” I said.
Most women would be anxious to flaunt a diamond like that. Not Vikki. She looked like she wanted to take the ring off and place it in her purse so it wouldn’t be mentioned again.
“I don’t see what my ring has to do with this conversation,” Vikki said.
“Maybe a lot more than you’re letting on,” I said.
Vikki shot me a glare. “What are you talking about?”
“That’s an impressive diamond,” I said.
“Can we get back to the point?” Vikki asked.
“You sure seem to be in a hurry to change the subject,” I said.
“I just don’t understand what your fascination is with my ring,” Vikki said.
“I’ve never met a woman before who has no interest in talking about diamonds,” I said.
“Well, you have now,” Vikki said.
“Are you planning a big wedding?’ I asked.
“That’s none of your business,” Vikki said. “Can we please return to the topic at hand?”
“You can try to change the subject all you want, but that sparkly ring on her finger sure knows how to command attention,” I said.
Vikki lost her temper. “Enough about the ring.”
I stared her down. “Testy, testy. You want to talk about something else? Fine. Let’s talk about your relationship with Wesley.”
Vikki shook her head. “Let’s not.”
“You don’t want to talk about your ring. You don’t want to talk about your relationship. Is there anything you are comfortable talking about?” I asked.
Vikki nodded. “Yes.”
“What?” I asked.
“I’m not stupid. I know why you pulled me aside. So let’s not waste any more time. I didn’t kill April. All right?” Vikki said.
“It’s not that simple,” Joe said.
“Sure it is. You’re the one who is making things more complicated than they have to be,” Vikki said.
“I’m just doing my job,” Joe said.
“Nice try, but if you were really doing your job, you’d be talking to someone else right now instead of bothering me,” Vikki said.
“I get it. You want us to turn around and walk away. To never bother you again,” Joe said.
“I’d love nothing more,” Vikki said.
“Fine. Want us out of your hair? Answer this one question. Where were you last night?” Joe said.
“Wesley took me out to dinner. Now, can I go?” Vikki asked.
Joe held his hand out. “Not so fast.”
“But you just said—”
Joe interrupted Vikki. “I want to know where you were the whole night.”
Vikki groaned. “All right. When we finished up at the restaurant, Wesley dropped me off at home. Then I went to bed.”
“What time did you arrive back at your house?” Joe asked.
“It was right around ten,” Vikki said.
“Are you sure about that?” Joe said.
Vikki shrugged. “Why does that matter?”
“Because if that is the truth then it means that you have no one to verify your whereabouts during the time of April’s murder,” Joe said.
“On second thought, Wesley might have dropped me off later than I realized. I’m not really great with time,” Vikki said.
Joe shook his head. “Really? You’re changing your story just like that? How convenient.”
“In the end, it doesn’t really matter what time he dropped me off. Like I told you, I went inside and headed straight to bed,” Vikki said.
“So you say,” Joe replied.
“It’s the truth,” Vikki said.
“According to you,” Joe said. “I don’t believe what I can’t verify.”
“For the last time, I didn’t do anything,” Vikki said.
“You sure had a reason to,” Joe said.
Vikki put her hands on her hips. “What are you talking about?”
“You stood to benefit from your fiancé’s promotion almost as much as he did. The added money in his wallet is going to help pay for your wedding. Plus your honeymoon. And down the road, maybe a down payment on a new house together,” Joe said.
“This is absurd. I didn’t kill April,” Vikki said.
“How about Wesley?” I asked.
Vikki waggled her pointer finger at me. “Oh no you don’t. I know what you’re doing.”
“We’re just trying to uncover the truth,” Joe said.
“No. You’re trying to turn Wesley and me against each other,” Vikki said. “Well it’s not going to work.”
“Vikki, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about,” I said.
“I don’t have anything to hide,” Vikki said.
“How about Wesley?” I asked.
“He didn’t kill April either,” Vikki said.
“Are you sure about that?” I asked.
“How dare you accuse my fiancé of something so dastardly,” Vikki said.
“How well do you really know Wesley?” I said.
“Well enough to say for certain that he is innocent,” Vikki replied.
“You’re devoted to him. That’s very admirable. But what if he isn’t as loyal to you?” I asked.
“That would be a shame,” Vikki said. “But it also wouldn’t change the fact that I had nothing to do with April’s death.”
“It would sure be a lot easier to believe that if you had an alibi for the time of her murder,” Joe said.
“Believe whatever you want. I’m innocent. End of story,” Vikki said.
Chapter Eleven
We had pushed Vikki to the brink, but all we really had to show for it was frustration. We lobbed a few more questions her way, but she completely shut us down.
Instead of wasting anymore of our time with Ms. Watson, Joe and I tracked Wesley down again inside the store. He looked disgusted to see us approaching him.
“Wesley, we need to have a few more words with you,” Joe said.
An exasperated look came to Wesley’s face. “Haven’t you bothered me enough for one day?”
“This is serious,” Joe said. “We have a problem.”
“I don’t care,” Wesley said. “I answered all your questions already.”
“Actually, that’s the problem. One of your answers didn’t check out,” Joe said.
Wesley’s nose crinkled. “What are you talking about?”
“Vikki told us you dropped her off shortly before ten last night. Which means you had plenty of time to drive over to April’s house and kill her,” Joe said.
“Let me stop you right there. My fiancé made a mistake—” Wesley said.
Joe interrupted him. “That’s what you’d like us to believe, but Vikki told us differently.”
“Don’t get me wrong. Vikki is great at a lot of things, but keeping track of time is not one of her strong suits,” Wesley said.
“Mr. Wilkerson, I know what I heard. So as much as you’d like to believe that you’re off the hook when it comes to this case, you’re not,” Joe said.
Wesley lost his temper. “This is ridiculous. I didn’t kill April.”
“It’s a shame you don’t have an alibi to prove that,” Joe said.
“Yeah? Well as far as I can tell, you don’t have a shred of proof that I did anything wrong,” Wesley said. “And unless you can produce some, I have to get back to work.”
As much as Wesley was getting on Joe’s nerves, my brother had no concrete evidence pointing to Wesley’s guilt.
So, reluctantly, Joe let Wesley get back to work.
Chapter Twelve
Joe and I had been in this position before. Where answers were in scarce supply, leads were non-existent, and a sense of exasperation took hold of us.
As Joe drove away fr
om the grocery store, he began to rant. “You know, I keep thinking that eventually these investigations are going to get easier.”
“But they never do,” I said.
Joe shook his head. “Nope. If anything, they are becoming increasingly more difficult.”
“Hey, keep your chin up,” I said. “Who knows? Maybe the crime lab will have some good news for us when they get done with their tests.”
“I wouldn’t count on it. They didn’t sound too optimistic earlier.”
“You aren’t exactly a pillar of optimism right now either.”
“I’m just being honest about my feelings. This case is a beast.”
“True. But you never know when you might catch a big break.”
“Or if I’ll catch a break.”
Joe’s pores were oozing with pessimism. Nothing I said seemed to help. As I looked at the deflated look on my brother’s face, it was hard not to feel discouraged myself.
Over the course of my investigative career, I had learned a number of things. For example, the power of rest and relaxation. Sometimes, what my brain needed most was to recharge. I believed that was especially true right then.
“I think it’s time that we call it a night,” I said.
“At the moment, I don’t think we have any other choice,” Joe said. “We’re fresh out of suspects and don’t have a single lead to speak of.”
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you grab some dinner, get some shut eye, and we’ll see if we can make some headway on this case tomorrow?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t anticipate being able to get to bed early tonight. I have to go check up on Summer. I’m sure she’s still a complete wreck.”
I nodded. “You’re probably right. Send her my condolences again.”
“I will.” Joe groaned.
“Hang in there. We’ll figure this out.”
“I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, but I’m just so…” He couldn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he just gritted his teeth.
“Irritated?” I asked.
“Among other things,” he said. “Look. I’m a realist. I know it would be too much to ask for us to have found a figurative smoking gun at the crime scene, but after a day of investigating, you’d think we’d be able to at least eliminate at least a few of the suspects.”
Sweets, Suspects, and Women Sleuths Cozy Mystery Set Page 51