Ryan rubbed her back. “I agree.”
“You know what’s bothering me? Apart from all the case stuff, and the missing pieces of the puzzle, I mean.”
“What is it?” Ryan pulled back from the embrace. He poured lemonade into either glass.
“We haven’t heard from Lilly since Bill and Colleen came to speak to us. She missed her dog training day with Dave, yesterday, and goodness knows, that freaked him out. He sat at the front door barking the entire afternoon,” Heather said. “What if –?”
“Give her time,” Ryan replied. “This is a big decision for her and she needs the space to make it. You know what that’s like.”
Heather blew out a breath, then grabbed her glass of lemonade and lifted it to her lips. “I know you’re right,” she said. “I just can’t stop worrying.”
“Let’s go watch a documentary on sharks or something,” Ryan replied. “Take your mind off things. You’ve got to switch off sometime.”
Heather grinned and rested her head on his shoulder. “You know me too well.”
Chapter 16
Heather had come alone.
She pressed the doorbell, and it chimed within the hall of the Hill house. She held her breath and nodded to herself. This was her last shot at figuring out why Katie had confronted Quick Paul.
Hopefully, the woman wouldn’t kick her out, today.
The lock drew back on the front door, and Katie’s face appeared in the crack between the frame and wood. “What do you want?” She asked, but without any venom.
Dark circles ringed her eyes.
“I want to talk, Katie. I’m sorry if I came off as accusatory the other day. Would you be open to discussing things with me?” Heather asked.
Katie grasped the bridge of her nose and pinched. “I guess so,” she said. “Yeah. Just keep your voice down. My boy’s sleeping.” She opened the door fully, then stepped back.
“Thank you,” Heather said. She walked into the hall and halted. It was empty. No furniture at all. Pictures hung on the walls, happy images of the Hill family together. Some of them included Peter.
Katie shut the door and locked it. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any place for you to sit, except in the kitchen. We’ve had some financial troubles of late.”
Heather followed the young woman through to her kitchen, which was twice the size of Heather’s one at home.
“I, forgive me, Katie, but I’m having trouble keeping track of your moods. You seem calm one day and furious the next,” Heather said. She sat down on the small stood in front of the kitchen island, and balanced her forearms on the countertop.
Katie nodded, then walked to the opposite counter and opened a draw. “It’s been rough. I’m not handling this very well,” she said. She rifled through the drawer, then slammed it shut and opened the one beneath it.
“Handling what very well?”
“Losing all our money because of a bunch of idiotic diapers,” Katie replied. She moved to the next set of drawers at the opposite end of the kitchen.
“Is that why you fought with Quick Paul?”
Katie opened the drawer and bent over it. “Quick Paul invested some money in my husband’s business. He loaned it to him, and when Jeremy couldn’t pay it back right away, he started threatening us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Heather replied. Her insides twisted into a knot. This was a solid lead. The first in this case.
“Yeah, so, of course, Jeremy went and took out other loans to pay him back. He mortgaged the house. He bankrupted us. And Quick Paul got his money. Oh, he got it, all right.”
“Is that why you argued with him?” Heather asked.
“Uh huh.” Katie opened a cupboard above her head. “Ah,” she said and pulled out a plastic bottle. “Found it.” She popped a few pills into her palm, then swallowed them. “That’s better.”
“Katie, what are those?” Heather asked.
“Valium,” she replied. “For my nerves. Oh relax, it’s not like I drink them all day, just when I’m tired, and I can’t sleep. Or when I’m feeling stressed. And only when little K is asleep. Times are tough. I need a break from it all.”
“I’m not judging you, Mrs. Hill.” Heather pressed her knuckles to her cheeks. She’d gone pale at the sight of the medication. “A doctor prescribed those for you? For your stress I mean?” Heather asked. The evidence had just stacked up against Katie Hill, even if she didn’t realize it yet.
“Oh no,” Katie said, then shook her head. “Look, don’t tell anyone but Peter gave them to me. My father-in-law? Yeah, he takes them for pain or exhaustion, I don’t remember what he said. Something about an illness. He told me they’d help, and they do, so I took them. No big deal.”
“Peter gave you the valium,” Heather replied. Warning signals shot down the back of her spine. Peter. “Peter also bought some Diapers Pops from your son.”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy. He means well. Always trying to help us out,” Katie said, then stifled a yawn. “I think he felt guilty.”
“Guilty?”
“Yeah, because he introduced Jeremy to Quick Paul. Apparently, Peter and Quick Paul go way back. I warned both of them about it,” Katei replied. “But you know how men can be. Stubborn. Wow, these things kick in fast.”
“Peter introduced you to Quick Paul.”
Katie laughed out loud. “Yeah. That sounds like a nursery rhyme.” She wandered through the kitchen and out into the hall. “Peter and Quick Paul,” she sang, under her breath.
Heather’s mind clicked the pieces together. She lurched to her feet and whipped her cellphone out of her pocket.
“You got any other questions?” Katie called out, softly. “I usually nap when little K, does. Kids, you know? They take it outta ya.”
“No, that will be all. Thank you, Mrs. Hill. I’ll let myself out,” Heather replied.
She stormed out of the kitchen and down, the hall. She dialed Ryan’s number and pressed the phone to her ear.
“This is Detective Shepherd.”
“I know who did it,” Heather said and burst out of the front door and into the sunlight.
“What?”
“Meet me at Peter Hill’s residence, as soon as you can.” Heather took the stairs two at a time and jogged down the garden path. “Bring your handcuffs.” She hung up, then sprinted to her car and unlocked it.
Heather took a second to catch her breath.
Of all the suspects, she’d never have guessed that Peter Hill would be the one to take revenge on Quick Paul.
“Maybe my sleuthin’ skills are fading,” Heather whispered. She laughed and shook her head. Now, was not the time for self-doubt.
She slid into the seat of her car and started the engine.
Chapter 17
Heather parked her car across the road from Peter’s house and stared at it between the trees.
The old man himself hobbled around on the porch. He bent and swept a diaper up, then shook it and shuffled out of sight.
Heather sighed and knuckled her forehead. “Why, Peter? You’re such a good guy.” She opened the car door, then got out and bumped it close with her hip. “But what kind of good guy sets a building on fire with a live person inside?”
The answer was simple: there weren’t any good guys who’d do that.
Heather locked her car, then crossed the street. Her heart beat in time with each step, and her pulse quickened. Ryan hadn’t arrived yet, but she had her Taser if things got a little rocky.
She opened the front gate and strode up to the porch.
Peter Hill dropped a diaper into the box. “Darn, raccoons. Why would they want to –”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Hill,” Heather said, and stopped below the first step.
Peter jumped, then grunted and turned to face her. “What’s good about it? Raccoons messed up my front porch.”
“Diapers,” Heather said. “May I ask why, Mr. Hill?”
Peter wriggled his nose from left to right. “Because I
’m supportive of my son, that’s why. I don’t suppose you’d understand that, Mrs. Shepherd. I hear you don’t have any kids.”
Heather refrained from grasping her stomach. Of all the things the old man could’ve said, that one hurt the most. She didn’t have any kids. Lilly hadn’t called. Colleen hadn’t called.
What on earth had happened? What had they decided?
No, she had to focus on the here and now.
“I can understand you’d want to support your son, Mr. Hill. Wasn’t that why you introduced him to Quick Paul, in the first place.”
Hill’s eyes widened, and he grasped a diaper in both hands. “I – what? How did you know that?”
“Your daughter-in-law mentioned it.”
“I told you to stay away from my family,” he growled.
Heather sighed and readjusted her tote bag on her shoulder. “I understand why you did it, Mr. Hill. I understand that you don’t have anyone but them. That you lost your wife.”
Peter opened his mouth and shut it again.
“Wasn’t there a better way?” Heather asked.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Peter replied, but tears sparkled in his gaze. “Don’t know –”
“Peter, you wanted to do the right thing for your son and your family. Maybe you were afraid for them, or maybe you just wanted them to be happy.”
“He would’ve moved away,” Peter said, and his bottom lip trembled. His voice cracked, and he pointed his gnarled finger at the end of the garden. “Told me that he’d move away if the business didn’t work out.”
“Did he come to you when Quick Paul threatened him?” Heather asked.
“Yeah, he told me that Quick Paul knew men. Dangerous men. I didn’t want him to get hurt. Or little K. Any of them. They’re my family,” Peter said and hugged the diaper to his chest. “They’re the only family I’ve got left.”
“So, you tried to do the right thing,” Heather replied.
Mr. Hill jerked his head up and down. “They’re my world. And Quick Paul, I knew him from way back, he was dangerous, Mrs. Shepherd. He would’ve hurt them. He would’ve chased them off or –”
“But Jeremy paid back the money he owed,” Heather said.
“What?” Peter asked. “No, he couldn’t afford it.”
Heather closed her right fist around the straps of her bag. “Katie told me that Jeremy took out a loan to cover the payment. Quick Paul got the cash.”
Peter blinked several times. He lifted the diaper and buried his face in it, then blew his nose. “For nothing.” He dropped the diaper again, then stared at her. “For nothing?”
This was the worst. This old man had done the wrong thing, but he’d done it to try protect the people he cared about the most. “Why didn’t you go to the police?” Heather asked.
A car cruised up to the house and parked outside the gate. Heather glanced back and let out a sigh.
The engine of Ryan’s cruiser cut off, and he opened his car door. At least, the backup had arrived.
Peter’s gaze shifted from Heather to the police car. “I thought they wouldn’t believe me. Quick Paul threatened to hurt them if I did.”
The gate opened, and Ryan strode up the garden path, his handcuffs jangled on his belt loop. He placed his fists on his hips and stopped beside his wife. “Mr. Hill,” he said.
“I just wanted to do the right thing. He wasn’t a good man. He put a lot of folks out of business. He destroyed a lot of families,” Peter said.
Heather released her grip on her bag and dropped her arms to her sides. “Mr. Hill, you wanted to do the right thing, but you went about it the wrong way.”
Birds chirped in the trees in the garden, and laughter burst from the next door neighbor’s yard. A bunch of kids chased each other around and shrieked their giggles.
Peter Hill stared at them, then turned back to Heather and Ryan. “Yeah,” he said.
“Now, you have the chance to do the right thing again,” Heather whispered. “Will you come, quietly?”
Peter walked down the stairs and stopped in front of them. “Everybody’s got choices in life. Man, I messed up more than I can count on both hands and these old feet.” He glanced at the children next door again, then squeezed his eyes shut. “I won’t make the same mistakes again.” He extended his wrists toward Ryan.
“Thank you, Mr. Hill,” Heather replied.
Quick Paul had been a bad man, and Mr. Hill had been protective, good to his family, but laws were laws, and no one had the right to take another’s life.
Heather turned her back on the scene and walked back to her car.
Chapter 18
“Is everybody ready?” Heather asked.
The chorus of whoops and cheers answered her. The assistants stood behind her, along with Eva, and lifted Donut Delights boxes. Ronald Tombs stood off to one side, twiddling his thumbs over the screen of his cell.
Heather jangled the keys to the front door of the new and improved store. This wasn’t the grand opening, but it would be the first time she’d seen the new store. It’d finished the day before.
“C’mon, already, some of us aren’t getting any younger,” Amy said.
“Speak for yourself.” Eva patted her plum-colored hair and chuckled.
Heather inserted the key into the front door and turned it. The lock clicked. She inhaled, then opened the front door of Donut Delights.
“Wooo! Let’s go,” Ken yelled.
Heather strode into the interior and looked around. Her jaw dropped. She grabbed at one of the wrought iron chairs, the same Eva always sat in and held herself upright. “It’s huge. It’s amazing,” she stammered.
The storefront of Donut Delights had doubled in size. More wrought iron, glass-topped tables had been brought in. The golden boards beneath Heather’s feet shone beneath rows upon rows of downlights.
The counter at the front stretched to accommodate double the amount of donuts.
Heather’s assistants and friends filed into the store. Gasps and giggles rang out, echoed in the massive space.
“There’s a new coffee machine,” Amy squeaked.
“Yeah, we got rid of the old one. You’re going to need to serve a lot more customers in the coming days,” Ronald Tombs said, and looked up from his phone. “That’s an industrial grade machine. Same as the mixers in the kitchen. Ovens too.”
Heather stumbled from her position and linked arms with Eva.
“Are you all right, dear?” She asked.
“Overwhelmed,” Heather replied. It was the best she could do, given the circumstances.
Jung burst out of the kitchen doors. “You have got to see this. Oh wow. Oh my gosh.”
Heather, Eva, and the gang hurried through to the kitchen. The doors swung inward, and they stepped into… Heather’s grandmother would’ve named it ‘paradise.’ Because that was what, this was.
Silver counters stretched through the space. Ovens lined one wall, big enough to take triple the amount of batches Heather had even made in a day.
“And this is something I’ve been keeping secret,” Ronald Tombs said. He strode between them and to a silver door at the end of the room. He grasped the handle then pulled.
Shelves filled the room to capacity, and a light fog rolled into the kitchen, through the open door.
“Is that –”
“A walk-in refrigerator. For perishables,” Ronald said.
Heather’s stomach whooped. A hysterical giggle escaped her lips. “This is unbelievable. I can’t thank you enough, Ronald.”
“Oh you can thank me, Mrs. Shepherd,” he replied, and straightened his tie. He shut the door and clunked the handle to the lock position. “You can thank me by returning on my investment with massive profits.”
The joy turned into a kaleidoscope of butterflies. They pummeled the lining of her stomach and attacked her senses. “We’ll do everything we can to make Donut Delights the success it was made to be. Right, guys?”
“Right,”
the group yelled, as one.
Eva shook her fist and beamed around at everyone.
The one thing Heather refused to skimp on was quality.
“That’s all I needed to hear,” Ronald said. “I’ve ordered a full feast from Dos Chicos. It should be delivered within the next twenty minutes.”
“And we’ve got dessert,” Heather replied, and pointed to the Donut Delights boxes, packed to the brim with delicious Raspberry Mojito Donuts. “Which reminds me. We’re going to have to recreate these for the grand opening in a few days. I was worried about it, but after seeing the size of this kitchen and the equipment, we have access to –”
“Yeah, the only thing you’ve got to worry about is Ang eating all the raspberry jelly,” Amy said.
“I get the rolling pin for you,” Angelica said and narrowed her eyes. She winked a second later.
Heather laughed and led the way out into the front of the store. The task ahead of their team would define their futures. This would be the start of a new –
Lilly stood in the center of the store. Pamela, her social worker, stood beside her.
The laughter at the back of the group cut off. Confused looks spread between the assistants. Amy sucked in a breath, then reached out and squeezed Heather on the shoulder for support.
“Mrs. Shepherd?” Pamela said. “We need to talk. I couldn’t get hold of your husband to organize a date and time.”
“I – that’s all right. I’ll call him right away. Is everything all right?” Heather asked. “I mean, Lilly, can I talk to you? Can I talk to her? Are you all right?”
“Heather, you’re rambling,” Amy whispered, and nudged her forward.
Heather’s arm slipped from Eva, and she took two steps toward the woman and the young girl. She stared at Lilly, unblinking.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she replied. A hint of a smile played across her lips. “I’m great.” She took a step forward, and then another.
Heather’s breath caught in her chest.
Lilly broke into a jog, then flung her arms around Heather’s waist and hugged her tight. “I choose you, Au-Heather.”
Raspberry Mojito Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 20 Page 6