“It doesn’t meet her design aesthetic. What if it’s because she needed to hide something in plain sight, and not because she liked the look of it?”
Heather climbed up on the desk, while Amy stood nearby for balance. Heather searched the boxes, looking for something other than bulbs.
“Aha!” Heather said as she pulled a document out of one of the decorative boxes on the lighting fixture. She didn’t wait to come off of the desk to start reading. “I think we’ve found the proof we need.”
***
“Back again?” John Wallens asked as he opened his door and saw Ryan. He was joined by Detective Hoskins.
Heather and Amy stood at a distance outside. They didn’t want to gloat over the capture of a criminal, but they did want to hear why John Wallens had escalated to murder.
Wallens walked outside to talk to the detectives. “I’m sorry you’re going to waste your time here again. I don’t have anything new to say.”
“That’s all right. We do,” Ryan said.
“I’ve discovered evidence that you were being blackmailed,” Hoskins said, attempting to hog the credit for the clue.
“That again?” Wallens said.
“We’ve found,” Ryan said, using the correct pronoun to account for the whole team. “Evidence in Tiffany Turner’s office that you were stealing mass amounts of money from your company. Your company confirmed the theft, but didn’t know who was responsible.”
“You’re bluffing. There’s nothing in Tiffany’s office.”
“So you were looking in her office for the evidence?”
“I didn’t say that,” John said, calmly.
“It was in the lighting fixture,” Ryan said.
Wallen’s face fell. He suddenly looked defeated.
“Didn’t think to look there, did you?” Hoskins asked.
As they heard this, Amy made a face. Hoskins hadn’t thought to look there either. It had been all their hard work that made the discovery possible.
“Mr. Wallens, if you already paid the blackmail money, why did you have to kill her?”
“Because she wanted more,” Wallens croaked. “I thought it was finished after I paid, but she wanted more money. I knew it wasn’t going to stop unless I stopped her. I had to do it. Don’t you see? I had to.”
Ryan informed John Wallens that he was under arrest for theft and murder.
Now that Wallens had started talking, he couldn’t stop. “I thought you’d blame the sister. They hated each other so much. It was the perfect motive.”
Ryan and Hoskins led him away in handcuffs.
“I’m glad this case is closed,” Amy said. “I really don’t like that Tiffany was killed with one of her signature knives. Is that irony? Either way, I don’t like it. Can you imagine someone killing you with your own thing like that?”
“People have tried to kill me with donuts before.”
Amy shuddered. “Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.”
“Okay,” Heather agreed. “A happy thought about donuts not being murder weapons, but about being a way to save someone’s home.”
That did make Amy smile.
Chapter 18
“They say the early bird gets the worm,” Leila yawned. “Or in this case the donuts.”
Eva, Amy, and Heather laughed at her joke. It was early, but they needed to have the special “Eva and Leila Fundraiser Donut” ready for a full day of sales. They were in the back of the store by the kitchen, waiting for the unveiling.
“Should we have a drumroll?” Eva asked.
Amy and Leila were only too happy to provide the music by pounding their hands on their legs. Heather waited until the beat reached a pinnacle. Then she unveiled her special creation.
“I hope you like it,” Heather said.
“We love all your donuts, dear,” Eva said.
“I know. But I felt a little pressure as I tried to design one in honor of you both.”
“It’s already got my mouth watering,” Leila said. “Tell us about it while I can still contain myself from grabbing one.”
“All right,” Heather said. She laughed as Eva pretended to hold Leila back from grabbing an early sample. “It’s not the best name, but it does let customers know it’s the one to pick to help. The Eva and Leila Fundraiser Donut is a mix of classic flavors: chocolate and vanilla.”
“We’re classic,” Eva said.
“It’s like a marble cake but in donut form,” Heather said. “Chocolate icing on top because I know how much you love chocolate.”
“She does know us well.”
“And there’s a few nuts on top.”
“Is she saying we’re crazy?” Leila asked.
“And for a splash of color, some lavender icing drizzled across the top.” Heather finished. “I tried not to make the flavors too exotic so that the maximum about of customers would buy it, but I also wanted to make it special.”
“You succeeded,” Eva said. “Thank you so much.”
“I’m getting emotional,” Leila said. “I either need to be handed a donut or a tissue.”
Heather handed out sampled of the donuts to everyone, and they all took a bite.
“I might be biased because it has my name in it, but this is the most delicious donut I’ve had yet,” Eva said.
“Until next week, when you try my new flavor,” Heather teased.
“You know, I’m not quite decided,” Leila said. “I think I really need a second donut to make an informed opinion.”
She smiled, and Heather knew she only wanted a second donut. She was happy to oblige.
“You ready, boss?” Maricela asked, popping her head inside. Her other assistant Angelica joined her in the doorway.
“We’re coming,” Heather said. “Time to open shop.”
Heather and Amy had been making signs and advertising as best they could in between casework as soon as they had the idea for the bake sale. She hoped it was enough to bring in customers and raise the necessary funds to fix the house.
“Whatever happens, we want you to know we appreciate everything you’ve done,” Eva said.
“I’ve got a good feeling about this,” Leila said. “I think it’s going to work.”
“I think Heather’s donuts are delicious and this is a sweet idea. I just don’t want us to get our hopes up. How many people are really going to come out to help two old biddies?”
Maricela and Angelica chuckled went to the front of the store. Everyone followed them out behind the counter. The assistants smiled as the others let out a collective gasp.
Heather had hoped that her plan would bring in customers, but she didn’t expect to see a line of eager buyers standing in a line that wrapped around the sidewalk before they even opened.
Heather hurried to open the doors, as Eva and Leila struggled to keep tears of gratitude and joy in check.
It was one of their busiest morning rushes, and everyone was eager to try the “Eva and Leila Fundraiser Donut.”
“I can’t believe so many people came,” Eva said.
“I think we might be beloved by the community,” Leila told her.
Heather was kept busy all morning filling orders. She even asked some more employees to come in and help with the rush. Knowing that it was to help Eva and Leila, they were happy to help.
Heather was overjoyed by the countless members of the community that had come out to show their support but was also pleased to see some familiar faces amongst the crowd.
Amy took a break when Jamie came in, and the couple sat at a table to enjoy the special supportive donuts and let the conversation roam towards their own plans for moving in together.
Geoff Lawless had come in to show his support. It was so busy she didn’t have much time to talk to him. However, since he was a man of few words his “nice idea” might have been all the conversation she would have gotten out of him anyway.
Col and Mona made an appearance and enjoyed the donuts, though Mona made a point of saying she should only have a few if she
actually wanted to fit into her wedding dress.
Roadkill Rodney also entered the shop and Heather made sure to make time to talk to him.
“How are you holding up?”
“I’d say I’m still in mourning,” he answered. “But I am enjoying Hillside. And these donuts too.”
She wrapped up a dozen for him and hoped she brightened his day a little.
When school let out, Ryan brought Lilly and Nicolas over to try the new donuts. They proclaimed they were the perfect flavor to represent Eva and Leila, and then tried to image what flavor they would be as donuts too.
After such a busy day, Heather was happy to sit down when a slight lull appeared (most likely because customers were eating dinner instead of donuts.) She was hoping to enjoy a moment a relaxation when Taryn Tiffany entered the shop.
“I heard about your donut fundraiser and wanted to support it,” she said. After she had bought a donut, she joined Heather at a table.
“Thank you for your support,” Heather said.
“Thank you for finding who killed my sister,” Taryn said. “I can’t believe she’s gone. That she won’t help turn any more houses into homes. But it does help to know that the person who did it is now behind bars.”
Taryn took a bite of the donut and complimented the flavor. Heather thanked her and let it slip that the fundraiser had been doing really well that day.
“That’s wonderful!” Taryn said. “And you know, if you’re still looking for someone to make those renovations, I’d be happy to help turn it around.”
Heather suppressed a groan. Instead, she had to smile. Things were working out. The donut fundraiser had been successful. They would be able to make Eva and Leila’s house a dream home.
The End
A letter from the Author
To each and every one of my Amazing readers: I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think by leaving a review!
I’ll be releasing another installment in two weeks so to stay in the loop (and to get free books and other fancy stuff) Join my Book club.
Stay Curious,
Susan Gillard
Mint Creme Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 47 Page 7