Troubled Treats

by Jessica Beck

  “Hang on a second. I’m coming with you,” I said.

  He just shrugged, which was enough agreement for me.

  “Getting chilly out, isn’t it?” Jake asked as he approached the policeman.

  “I could use a cup of coffee,” Griffin said. “You don’t happen to have any on you, do you?”

  “Sorry, we don’t, but we could go get you some,” Jake volunteered. “Suzanne, would you mind?” he asked as he tried to hand me his truck keys.

  “You’re kidding, right? I’m not driving your truck,” I said, refusing his offer, “but I don’t mind if you go.”

  “Never mind,” Griffin said. “I’m due to be relieved in twenty minutes anyway.”

  “Are you guarding the building around the clock?” Jake asked him.

  “We’re here until the chief says otherwise,” the officer answered.

  “Well, have a good night then,” Jake said as he saluted with two fingers.

  Griffin grinned. “In about twenty-one minutes, I will.”

  As we got back into the truck and headed back home, I asked, “Were you trying to get rid of me back there?”

  “No, ma’am,” he said, smiling.

  “I should hope not,” I said. “We’re a team, remember?”

  “Hey, you spoke with Gabby without me. How come that’s okay, but me talking to another cop by myself isn’t?”

  I thought about it for a second, and then I realized that he had a legitimate point. “You’re right. I’m wrong.”

  “I’m sorry; I missed that. Would you mind repeating it?”

  “As a matter of fact, I would,” I said. “Next time I’ll go.”

  “Even if it means driving my truck?” Jake asked playfully.

  “Only if you’re okay if something happens to it while I’m driving.”

  “On second thought, I’ll run the errands myself.”

  I looked at the ancient truck. “What is it about this truck that makes you love it so much?”

  “I thought I told you. It was my dad’s,” Jake said softly. “When he died, it was about the sum total of my inheritance from him, but it was all that I ever really wanted. Whenever I drive it, I think of him.”

  I had had no idea. “I get it, Jake. I’m sorry about all of the disparaging comments I’ve made about it in the past.”

  “You haven’t said that many bad things about her,” Jake said as he stroked the dashboard.

  “Maybe not to your face,” I replied. “The sniping stops now, though.”

  “Thanks. This truck is a part of me, good, bad, or indifferent.”

  “And I’m sure that I’ll grow to love it, too.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t expect you to go that far,” he answered with a hint of laughter. I knew how hard it was for Jake to open up to me, and I considered it a real victory that he’d told me the story behind his truck.

  “She and I will at least learn to share you,” I said as I stroked the seat between us.

  “That’s all that I ask,” Jake said. “Let’s get you home. I’m getting hungry, how about you?”

  “In all the excitement, we forgot to eat, didn’t we? Would you mind if we just have sandwiches at the cottage? I hate to eat a big meal just before I go to bed.”

  “That sounds perfect to me,” Jake said. “We have one more stop to make, and then we’ll head home.”

  “Why do we have to stop? We have all the fixings we need to make sandwiches,” I protested. It really was getting late, at least for me.

  “I know that, but we need something from your mother.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “A key to the factory,” Jake replied. “Once the police chief clears it, I need to get back in there.”

  I knew there was no sense trying to argue with him. Besides, I wanted that key myself. “Fine, but we’re not staying long.”

  “I promise,” he said, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hold him to that. He didn’t have the urgency to get home that I did, and why should he? My husband could sleep in as late as he wanted to, not that he would, especially while he was working on a murder investigation, but at least he had the option. Before long, I’d have to be getting up and going in to work while the world slept around me. It was getting harder and harder to drag myself into work some days while Jake stayed behind, warm and comfy in our bed. Still, I was a donutmaker by profession as well as by choice, and the hours came with the job.

  “What are you two doing out so late?” Momma asked as she answered the door to her home. “Suzanne, shouldn’t you be asleep by now?”

  “We’re headed home to get a bite, and then I’m going straight to bed,” I admitted. “We need a favor first, though.”

  “Are you out of food? You really should keep your pantry stocked. Lucky for you I made a pot roast tonight, and we have plenty for all four of us.”

  “Thanks, but we can’t stay,” I said, and then I looked over and saw the smile on my husband’s face as he took a deep whiff of the aromas coming from my mother’s kitchen.

  “Are you sure?” Jake asked. “Dot, that smells awfully good.”

  “Suzanne, how can you deprive your husband of a hot meal?” Momma asked me.

  “You might as well throw in the towel, Suzanne,” Phillip said from the hallway. “You’re clearly outnumbered.”

  I could see the wisdom in his advice. “When you’re right, you’re right. Thanks, we appreciate it, Momma.”

  “Don’t be silly. It’s our pleasure.” She turned to her husband. “Phillip, do me a favor and set two more places at the table.”

  “With pleasure,” he said, and then the former police chief winked at me and grinned. We’d had our share of battles in the past, but I’d come around to begin to see some of what my mother saw in him, and despite our earlier conflicts, I was genuinely beginning to like the man.

  “Do you need a hand?” Jake asked him.

  “You bet. While we’re working, you can bring me up to speed on your investigation.”

  “Gentlemen, must we speak of murder all of the time?” Momma asked them.

  “It’s better to let them get it out of their systems before we eat,” I told her, and Jake grinned at me as the two men disappeared into the dining room.

  “It’s sweet of you to feed us, but I really do have plenty of food at home,” I told Momma after the men were gone.

  “I know that,” she answered with a smile. “How have you been? The truth is that I miss seeing you every day. When we lived together at the cottage, I could always count on it.”

  “I know. I miss you, too, but to be fair, you got married first and moved away.”

  She smiled. “And it turned out to be the second-best decision I ever made in my life.”

  “Do I dare ask what the first one was? Having me, perhaps?” I asked her with a grin.

  “You were a direct result of it, so in a way, yes, but I meant marrying your father.”

  “Shouldn’t you keep your voice down when you say that?” I asked her. “After all, Phillip is just in the other room.”

  “He knows how I feel about him, and it’s a discussion we had long ago. Suzanne, there’s room in my heart to love more than one person, just as there is in Jake’s.”

  “But just one at a time, right?” I asked her, smiling.

  She laughed. “In that way, yes, but never forget that I love you, too,” Momma said as she startled me by hugging me.

  “I love you, too,” I answered.

  After we broke away, she asked, “So, if you didn’t come by for a meal, what brings you here, not that you need an excuse to visit?”

  “We’d like a key to the factory,” I said. “It’s either that or we break in, and I thought you’d prefer it this way.”

  Momma frowned. “Chief Grant told me specifically that the building was off limits until further notice. You aren’t planning on sneaking there in spite of his orders, are you?”

  “Would I do that?” I asked her as I laughed a bit.<
br />
  “Suzanne.”

  “Relax, Momma. Jake wants to look around as soon as the chief releases the crime scene.”

  “Have you made any progress in your investigation?”

  “We haven’t had that much opportunity yet. Sully was just murdered this afternoon,” I said.

  “I know. These things take time.”

  “They do.” I wasn’t about to bring my mother up to date on what Jake and I had done so far, but then again, I had to tell her something, because I was pretty sure that my husband was bringing the former chief up to speed in the next room. “We’ve found several suspects, and interviewed three of them already. There’s a fourth that we’re going to speak with tomorrow.”

  Momma looked surprised by our progress. “But that’s wonderful. Who’s in the running?”

  I could tell from the glint in her eye that she was eager to know the details, so it was time to sing for our supper. “So far, we have Bob Greene and Jim Burr. They were Sully’s two employees. Then there’s Shirley Edam. She wanted to merge their operations, both business and personal, though she’s denying it at the moment. We’ve already had preliminary interviews with the three of them.”

  “Who’s left on your list?”

  “Carl Descent,” I said.

  “Carl? You’re kidding. Why on earth would he want to kill Sully?”

  “The prevailing theory is that he wanted to punish both of you for stealing the building out from under him,” I told her. “We heard that Sully was a deciding factor in who the owner sold the place to.”

  Momma’s face went ashen. “Is this a credible motive?”

  “I don’t know. You tell me.”

  She paused a moment as she considered it. “Carl has a temper, and he can be vindictive, too. I knew that he’d be upset when I got the building and he didn’t, but why would he kill Sully? His recommendation to the seller just doesn’t seem as though it’s enough reason to commit murder.”

  “I know, but that’s what we’re going to find out,” I said.

  “May I ask you how were you able to come up with four names so quickly?” she asked me.

  “We have a source,” I said, hedging my bets.

  Momma shook her head before she spoke. “There’s only one person in April Springs I know of who could have come up with four such disparate names in such short order. You spoke with Gabby Williams, didn’t you?”

  I smiled at her. “Sorry, but I cannot either confirm or deny that,” I said.

  “You don’t have to,” Momma said. After a moment, she added softly, “Gabby’s not exactly neutral when it comes to Sully. They were seeing each other, you know.”

  “I just found out about it, but how did you know?” It never ceased to amaze me how much my mother knew about the folks we lived amongst.

  “I have sources of my own,” she said as she walked over to her purse and retrieved a key. It had a paper tag on it that said WAGON WHEEL, and she handed it to me. “Just return it when you’re finished with it, please.”

  “Thanks, I will,” I said as I slipped it into my front jeans pocket.

  “Is it time to eat yet, Dot?” Phillip asked as the two men came out of the dining room together.

  “We were just waiting for you two to finish setting the table,” Momma said.

  No more was said about the murder the rest of the evening, and despite the hour, I had a lovely time. Dinner was magnificent, which was no real surprise, and the company was delightful. Phillip entertained us with a story from one of the old newspapers he’d stumbled across about a family of chipmunks that had nestled in an old man’s beard when it got cold, and his retelling of the tale had us all laughing by the time he finished. I hated to break things up, but after the third time I tried to hide a yawn, Momma said, “Suzanne, you have an early day tomorrow. Don’t mind these dishes. Phillip and I will take care of them.”

  “Are you sure?” I protested, but it had to be clear to everyone there that it wasn’t all that sincere.

  “Positive,” she said.

  Jake looked inquiringly at me, and I nodded slightly. He shook Phillip’s hand, and then hugged my mother. “Dot, it was all wonderful. Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome,” she said.

  Before we got to the truck, Jake said, “We forgot to get the key.”

  I patted my pocket. “I took care of it. We got a great deal more than that, didn’t we? I’m stuffed. I can’t believe how much I ate.”

  “Will you still be able to get to sleep when we get home?” he asked.

  “Are you kidding? You might have to carry me inside after I pass out on the ride home.”

  “I can do that,” he said. “They’re good together, aren’t they?”

  “I have to admit that they’re growing on me,” I answered sleepily.

  I managed to stumble into the cottage on my own power, but just barely, and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. It had been a big day, and tomorrow would be even crazier, but for the moment, all I cared about was sleeping during the little time I had left before I had to get up and go to work.

  Chapter 9

  Jake was still asleep when I left the cottage the next morning, which was a very good thing as far as I was concerned. He’d tried once to keep my hours, but we’d both known that it had been a mistake, and he’d never done it again. As I drove the short distance to the donut shop in the dark, I kept thinking about the wagon factory. Was there still a guard posted there, or had the police chief opened it back up? I had the key with me, so I could look around myself if I wanted to before work. Jake had forgotten to ask me for it, and I knew that he’d be retrieving it the moment he realized that I still had it in my possession. Why not get a little sleuthing in before I started my day at the donut shop, if that was the case?

  I decided to keep going past Donut Hearts and drove to the wagon factory.

  No one was posted out front, and there was no sign of a squad car there, either.

  I parked my Jeep and got out, but halfway up the steps, I glanced up toward the second floor windows and saw something that stopped me in my tracks.

  A small light was bobbing up and down up there, flickering as it passed the windows closest to the street.

  I knew that the place wasn’t haunted, no matter how many stories folks around April Springs told about the ghostly caretaker that supposedly roamed the building after midnight.

  Someone was up there, and I was determined to find out who it was.

  I wasn’t going in unarmed, though. I didn’t have my trusty softball bat with me, but I had the next best thing, a jack handle that would serve to defend me just fine. My Jeep had gone through some serious trauma at the hands of a snowy road before, and I could have used a little protection back then, but I’d failed to collect it before I’d fled into the woods.

  That wasn’t going to happen again.

  Grabbing the handle, I started toward the door, ready for whatever I might find upstairs. There was still police tape across the front façade, but someone had carefully slit it open in order to pass through. I tried the door, and to my surprise, I found it unlocked! I knew the police would have secured it before leaving, so whoever was up there had used a key, making the one in my pocket unnecessary. How had they gotten it? Did any of the workers have access to the building during off-hours, thus needing a key, or was this someone else entirely? Pushing the door open, I prepared myself for anything.

  I had walked just three steps inside when I heard someone directly above me, moving or dragging something across the floor over my head.

  What was I doing? Had I completely lost my mind? I always shouted at the heroines in horror movies who did the exact same thing that I was doing right now. I wasn’t sure where the false bravado had come from, but I’d never forgive myself if I wound up dead because of my own stupidity.

  This was something I shouldn’t be doing without any backup.

  I had to get out of there until I could get someone on the scene to ma
ke sure that I survived this.

  I never even considered calling the police. It was a simple matter of calling Jake and waiting for him to answer. When he finally picked up, it was clear that I’d woken him from a deep sleep. “Jake, I’m at the wagon factory.”

  “What are you doing there?” he asked me groggily.

  “I thought I’d drive by before work. The thing is that someone beat me to it.”

  That got his attention. “Are they still there?”

  “As far as I can tell. As I drove up, I saw a light coming from the second story, and when I snuck in, I heard someone moving boxes or something upstairs.”

  “You’re still in the building? Get out!”

  “Relax. I’m standing out on the front stoop,” I said. “But you’d better hurry. I don’t want whoever is up there to get away.”

  “Don’t move. I’ll be there in three minutes.”

  I started to tell him that he could barely drive that far in that amount of time, even if he were fully dressed, but my phone was dead at that point. He’d hung up on me.

  Now what should I do? I was tempted to slink back to my Jeep and wait there, ready to escape if whoever was inside decided to come out. Then again, I needed to be sure that I could identify them. I finally decided to compromise by moving over to the bushes by the front entrance. I was out of the line of sight of the door, but I could still run if I was spotted.

  Two minutes later, Jake drove toward the building, shutting off his headlights as he coasted the last twenty feet. That was smart of him, something that I’d failed to do. He came up to me quickly in the darkness, and I had to wonder how he’d known that I was there.

  “How did you spot me?” I asked in a whisper, though there was no way that anyone would be able to hear me. “I thought I was hidden pretty well.”

  “The tire iron in your hand caught my headlights before I shut them off,” he said. “Has there been any movement up there since you called me?”

  At least he wasn’t scolding me. I considered that a victory in my book. “Not that I’ve been able to see. Listen, I didn’t mean to push my luck walking into the building by myself. As soon as I came to my senses, I got out and called you.”