That’d be the perfect flavor to go with a minty donut base and –
“Hon? The book?” Ryan walked to her side.
“Oh, right.” Heather concentrated on the page again. “He had two appointments this week. One with a guy by the name of Jeremy Hill.”
“Duly noted,” Ryan said and whipped his notepad and ballpoint pen out of his top pocket.
The nib of the pen scratched across the page.
“And,” Heather said, and ran her index finger down the page. “Whoa.”
“What is it?” Ryan asked.
Heather tucked a laugh behind her teeth. “Bob from Bob’s Bug Debunkers. This guy turns up everywhere. He’s worse than Geoff Lawless.”
“Worse?”
“Just a turn of phrase. Geoff makes everyone Hillside look innocent by comparison. And sane, for that matter. I told you he stole donut crumbs out of my dumpster, once, right?” Heather shook her head. She shut the daily planner, then handed it to her husband.
Ryan took it and tucked it under his arm. “So, two this week.”
“Yeah, there were more on the pages from the weeks prior,” Heather replied.
“I’ll follow those leads,” Ryan said. “You follow up on Bob and Jeremy. How does that sound?”
Heather brushed her hand over her hair. How did it sound? “Like the start of the beginning of a successfully solved case.”
“I love how confident you’ve become,” Ryan said, and a grin split his cheeks.
Hoskins cleared his throat from the doorway. “Yeah,” he said and stared directly at Heather. “But there’s a difference between being confident and arrogant.” He jabbed his finger in her direction, then turned and shuffled back into the trash land that was Quick Paul’s living room.
“Nice guy,” Heather said.
Chapter 4
“I called ahead of time,” Heather said. “Just in case.”
Amy got out of the passenger side of the car, then bumped the door closed with her hip. “Why? Surprise interrogations are always fun.”
“For you, maybe,” Heather replied. She cleared her throat and looked up at the brick-faced building in front of them.
A house fitted with the perfect wraparound porch, a lazy porch swing, and a well-maintained garden. Two stories. Wind chimes hung under the eaves. Suburban perfection, just without the picket fence.
Amy checked her watch, then tapped its glass face. “It’s lunch time, Heather. Why is this guy home at lunch time?”
“Maybe he’s on vacation,” Heather replied. “It’s not like we’re baking right now. Or creating donuts, for that matter.”
“Ah, but we’re doing this.” Amy pointed up at the house, then froze. She dipped her head and stared at her shoes. “Uh, Heather? There’s a super angry looking woman standing on the porch.”
“I see her.” Heather lifted a hand and waved.
The woman didn’t wave back. Her platinum blonde hair fountained from a ponytail on top of her head. Not at the back, but right on top. Her lips drew into a thin line. “What do you want?” She yelled from the porch.
“We’re off to a good start already,” Amy muttered.
Heather grunted under her breath, then strode up the garden path and stopped at the base of the stairs. “Hi,” she said and risked a bright, customer-winning Donut Delights smile.
The blonde didn’t reply.
“I’m Heather Shepherd,” she said, and the grin froze on her face. “I have an appointment with Mr. Jeremy Hill.”
The woman tapped the toe of her sneaker on the wooden boards.
“Honey?” A man called out. “What’s going on?” Jeremy Hill strode onto the porch and concern radiated from his expression. He spotted Heather, then looked past her to Amy and back at his wife.
“Katie,” he said.
Her lips tightened further. “Look, more people to interfere in our lives,” she said, at last, in a light tone. The pleasant timbre of her voice didn’t match the glare she laid on Heather.
“Momma!” A child, he had to be about four, dashed out of the house and wrapped his arms around the woman’s legs. Mrs. Hills legs. “Momma, I want more of the noodles.”
Katie’s body language changed, instantly. Her frown slipped away, and she dropped to her knees beside the little boy. “Okay, honey. What do you say?”
“Please,” he said and grinned at her. “Please?”
“All right, Kieran,” Mrs. Hill said. She hefted him into her arms – no mean feat, he wasn’t a small kid – and walked toward the door. She paused and glanced back at her husband. “No more trouble,” she said, then disappeared into the interior of the house.
Jeremy Hill’s cheeks colored and he loosened the tie at his throat. “Sorry about that,” he said. “My wife is protective of the family at the best of times.”
“Does that make this the worst of times?” Amy asked. Astute as ever. Also, cheeky as ever.
Jeremy blinked at her, then wiped his palm on the side of his tailored pants. He stuck it out and moved onto the top step. “Jeremy Hill. You’re Mrs. Shepherd, I take it?”
“That’s correct,” Heather replied, and shook his hand.
Jeremy nodded. “I don’t mean to be rude. I’m just kinda wondering what this is all about. I’ve got quite a few appointments to make this week.”
What on earth had Katie Hill meant with that ‘no more trouble’ wise crack? Heather touched her fingers to her lips. “I’m an investigator working as a consultant for Hillside PD.”
“Oh?” Jeremy swallowed reflexively. “How can I help?”
Amy strolled up to the base of the stairs and halted beside Heather.
“The victim was Paul Jackson. I believe you knew him,” Heather said.
Jeremy gulped for a second time.
“Do you need some water or something?” Amy asked.
“I’m fine,” he replied.
“Did you know Paul?” Heather asked, and brought a notepad and pen out of her pocket.
Jeremy nodded a quick bob of his head up and then down. “I did. I had a meeting with him this week, but I decided to pull out of it.”
“I see,” Heather replied. “Was Paul your business associate?”
“No,” Jeremy said, quickly. He glanced back over his shoulder, then leaned in. “Look, my wife didn’t like the guys, so can we make this quick? I don’t want to leave her waiting in there. We were having lunch.”
“Of course,” Heather replied.
Amy snorted and folded her arms across her chest. “Sorry, I, uh, must be all the pollen getting to my sinuses.”
“He wasn’t a business associate. He had a few ideas I was interested in,” Jeremy said. He reached up and tugged on his tie again. “But we never got around to doing anything together, you know?”
Heather made a note on her pad.
“Look, I can show you.” Jeremy fumbled his cell out of his pocket and swiped his finger across the screen. A few taps and then he lifted it. “See? I sent this to him a few days ago. Told him that our meeting was off. He didn’t reply.”
Heather squinted at the message. It checked out. Or, so far, his story checked out. “Where were you two days ago at around 8 or 9 am in the morning?”
“At work,” Jeremy said, confidently. “You can call my offices downtown if you need proof. We have security cameras and everything.” He brought his card out of his pocket and handed it over.
Heather’s fingertips smoothed over the vellum. “Thank you,” she said.
“Now, if that will be all, I have to get back inside. My family is waiting.” Jeremy didn’t hang around for Heather’s answer. He turned on the spot, then rushed back into his home and slammed the door shut behind himself.
Chapter 5
Heather snuggled up underneath her blanket and stared at the image of Shrek on the screen. “Imagine a simple life, like that,” she said and pointed at him.
“You call saving a princess from a dragon, simple?” Amy shoved a handful of popcorn int
o her mouth and chewed, noisily. “What’s your definition of complicated?”
“Oh, I think you know the answer to that,” Heather replied.
Lilly reached for a handful of popcorn, then lifted her hand out of Dave’s reach. He snuffled around in her lap and licked at the crumbs and kernels which she’d already dropped.
Lilly hadn’t laughed once the entire evening and Shrek was one of her favorites. She sighed and chomped on another mouthful of popcorn, then grabbed her milkshake off the coffee table and slurped some up.
“Lils?” Heather moved to the edge of her sofa cushion. “Are you okay?”
Lilly shrugged and put her glass down. “Not really. I dunno. I’m worried, Au-Heather.”
“What are you worried about?” Amy asked.
Heather’s stomach sank, and she shifted her blanket aside. This had to be about the impending and highly possible ‘move’ that Lilly’s foster parents intended to make.
Lilly chewed on her bottom lip, then looked at the TV Screen. Donkey frolicked around in the forest.
“Lilly,” Heather said.
“I don’t want to move out of Hillside,” she replied, at last.
Heather got up from her seat and walked to Lilly, then lowered herself onto the cushions beside the young girl. “Oh honey, nothing is certain yet. You shouldn’t worry yourself about this kind of stuff.”
“I can’t help it. It’s all I think about.” Lilly’s bottom lip trembled, and she bit it to get it to stop. “I don’t want to go. This is the first time I’ve ever been happy in my entire life, and now I might have to leave.”
“We won’t let you leave,” Amy announced and put her finger up.
Heather shot her a look.
“What? Oh please, Heather, you and I both know that this girl isn’t going anywhere.” She rubbed Lilly’s upper back and patted her on the same spot. “Don’t worry about it, girl, we’ve got your back.”
“Really?” Lilly asked, and she turned those bright, brown eyes on Heather. “You mean it?”
Heather met her gaze. “Yeah,” she said, after a second. “We mean it. Now, why don’t you hop along to the kitchen and get us a refill on the popcorn? It looks like Amy’s been at it again.”
“Hey,” Amy said, “I’m not the only one eating the stuff.”
Both Lilly and Heather rolled their eyes at that reply. The girl jumped off the sofa and walked to the living room doorway, Dave hot on her heels. Lilly’s footsteps faded down the hall.
Heather tapped her fingertips on her knees. She turned on her bestie. “What’s gotten into you? You can’t give her false hope like that. There’s no guarantee that even if we could do something, we’d be able –”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait.” Amy put up her hands. “You’re telling me that if there’s the off-chance that you could keep Lilly here, you won't go for it?”
“That’s not the point. It’s about what’s best for her. Not what’s best for us.”
Amy chuckled. “That was such a mom thing to say. Don’t you realize that you are what’s best for Lilly? You and Ryan are more connected to her than Bill and Colleen ever were.”
Heather opened her mouth but slammed it shut again. She couldn’t argue with that. Lilly had brought that point up herself, in the past.
“Anyway, I get this is a rough topic, but you’re seriously freaking out. What’s the matter?” Amy asked, and grabbed Heather’s hand. She squeezed. “New case getting to you?”
Heather rose from the sofa and walked to the curtains. She flicked one back and looked out on the quiet residential street, lit by quaint lampposts. Stars twinkled in the inky black. A crescent moon completed the night.
“I guess. I wouldn’t say it’s getting to me, just that it’s on my mind. What a strange series of events. And a strange list of suspects.”
“Jeremy Hill?” Amy grunted and shifted on the sofa. “You can say that again. He was hiding something.”
Heather spun to face her bestie. “You felt it too?” She picked up the remote and paused Shrek mid-barrel roll and mayhem.
“Oh yeah. And what did his wife mean ‘no more trouble’? That was weird.” Amy flicked a blanket over her legs, then grabbed a throw pillow and beat it with the sides of her hands. “She was super hostile too. Like, too hostile unless she’d had some pretty bad experiences in the past. Ooh! What if he cheated on her?”
“Not our business if he did. And that doesn’t seem to relate to the case. No, I think their problems have to do with Quick Paul. That’s what puzzles me. The connection. The fear.” Heather rubbed her palms together to warm them up.
“So where to next?” Amy asked.
Heather tapped her chin, then pointed at her bestie. “Oh, you’re gonna like it.”
“Uh oh, what do you mean by that?”
“We’re going to see Bob at the Bug Debunker’s store.”
Amy grinned broadly. “Ah, Cheetos for everyone!”
Heather chuckled and sat down on the sofa. Lilly padded into the room, followed by Dave, and placed a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. “Extra butter,” she said and flourished her hands.
“Are you trying to make me fat, Lilly Jones?” Amy asked.
The girl giggled and helped herself to some of the buttery goodness.
Heather smiled at them, then lifted the remote and played Shrek again. Action exploded on the screen, but Heather didn’t focus on it.
Leads and possibilities clogged her mind. A hazy fog to sleuth through.
Chapter 6
Heather stared at the plastic bug which served as the store’s doorknob. She pulled her lips to one side and wriggled them, then sighed. “I know you think this guy’s a hoot, or whatever, but –”
“Ol’ Bob? He’s the best. Come on. The guy made a living off bugs. And would you look at that van?” Amy pointed to the van parked out front. The massive bug sat on top of it and glinted in the sunlight.
A breeze twiddled its antennae.
“He’s got style.” Amy clasped her hands in front of her chest. “A true visionary.”
Heather narrowed her eyes. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
Amy tapped the side of her nose, then grabbed the bug and opened the door. The scent of citronella hit them full on.
Heather reeled and pressed her fist to her nose. Amy coughed and stumbled through the invisible haze of chemicals. Okay, so citronella was an essential oil, but this was beyond comfortable.
Dizziness assaulted Heather, and she grasped the counter to keep from toppling over.
“Welcome to the –” Bob looked up from his game of whatever it was on his phone. “What do you ladies want?”
“We’ve got some questions that need answering, Bob,” Amy replied.
“Uh huh. This about dead Paul?” Bob asked. He’d never been one to mince words. Perhaps the citronella smell had crept through to his brain and shorted the neural pathways responsible for sensitivity.
“Quick Paul,” Heather corrected.
Metal clamored at the back of the store, and Heather studied the shelves. Nothing.
“That’s what I meant. The dead guy. Yeah, yeah, before you say anythin’, I know you know that I was ‘sposed to meet with him.” Bob stifled a yawn. “He came in here a couple of weeks ago, spouting all this hoo-ha about business and making money, so I made and appointment with him.”
“And did you see him?” Heather asked.
“Nope. Turned up at his offices and everything but he wasn’t there. Waste of my darn time,” Bob replied, then bent and brought out a packet of Cheetos.
Amy’s gaze lit up and she shuffled toward the exterminator.
“You’re talking about Quick Paul’s murder,” a man said, behind them.
Heather spun toward the store’s shelves, packed with all types of tinctures and poisons.
“Oh hey, Peter. I forgot you were here,” Bob said and popped open his bag. He eyed Amy, shook his head once, then bent, got another packet of Cheetos and tossed it to
her.
“Yeah we’re talking about Quick Paul,” Heather replied, then tilted her head to one side. “And you are?”
The elderly gentleman shuffled forward and stuck out his hand. He had to be at least Eva’s age. “Peter Hill. You spoke to my son yesterday. He told me all about it.” Peter pursed his lips. “My son didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I, uh, nice to meet you too,” Heather said and finished the handshake.
“The greetings sure have gone down around here,” Amy muttered.
“You knew Paul?” Heather asked.
Peter shook his head. “Nah, not really. I just know he wasn’t a good guy. He was involved in all kinds of bad deals, my son told me all about it.” He cleared his throat and jabbed his finger at her in mid-air. “So don’t you go accusing my son of doing something he didn’t do.”
Amy chomped on Cheetos, her fingers coated in orange dust, and snorted.
“You seem awfully protective of your son.”
“As is every parent’s right to be,” Peter replied. He smoothed his fingertips over the tufts of hair at his temples. “I, uh, don’t have any other family. Lost my wife a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Mr. Hill,” Heather replied. She couldn’t imagine losing Ryan, and Eva still missed her husband, though he’d died many years back.
“It’s all right. It was better she went when she did. She was ill for a long time.” Peter cleared his throat. “Not easy to see someone you love suffer like that.”
Heather nodded slowly. The only time she’d seen similar had been the day Eva had wound up in hospital after she’d been attacked. “Mr. Hill, I’m trying to get to the bottom of this murder, so that I can take another dangerous criminal off the streets. Any information you have would be greatly appreciated.”
He grunted and brushed off his palms on his worn pants. “I’ll help in whatever way I can.”
Amy crumpled up her empty bag and presented it to Bob. He chucked it into the trash can beside the counter, then grinned at her. “You like Cheetos,” he said, between orange teeth.
Raspberry Mojito Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 20 Page 2