Maria and Luis expressed their confidence that the cops would come to their senses and wrap the case up soon, exonerating Melissa in the process. However, they had come over to warn her about the trouble Mr. Stevenson was causing. He had spoken to nearly a dozen news stations in North Carolina and even one national news outlet. What he had to say about Melissa was beyond slander. He outright accused her of being the one to kill his wife because she (Melissa) “despised and hated Linda all her life and had purposefully come back to Kill Devil Hills to ruin his wife’s business.” The whole idea was preposterous! Melissa couldn’t comprehend how anyone would think that of her. So they didn’t get along after high school? So they weren’t big buddies when she moved back to town? How does that add to wanting to kill someone? The four agreed it was bizarre. Perhaps the man was so grieved by her death he was lashing out at the first person he could think of, which would be Melissa since Linda was found in her bakery.
Looking up, Melissa noticed a strange expression on Maria’s face. She knew something else but was hesitant to say it. Taking the hint, she instructed Logan to freshen up with a nice long shower since it had been such a long day already, and it wasn’t over yet. At first the boy resisted but seeing the purposeful look on his aunt’s face, he decided to make himself scarce for a little while.
“Okay, there’s something you are not telling me, Maria. What is it?” What she heard sounded even crazier than the idea that she had something to do with Linda’s death. Yes, it was true that Linda had never welcomed Melissa back to town with open arms and she was aware that the woman gossiped about her behind her back. She had heard a few of the stories – Melissa supposedly envied Linda since high school and had always tried copying her and being better than her at everything and since moving back to town she was still doing it. Well, that was nuts! Melissa never wasted her time on envy or thinking twice about Linda after their falling out in high school. Apparently, that was not the case for Linda. There had also been a rumor started, she assumed by Linda, that Melissa was too selfish of a person to even have children and that was why she remained childless. This had really infuriated Melissa when she heard that one after being back in town for a few months. Melissa and Kevin had desperately wanted children and had spent most of their life earnings and savings trying to get pregnant to no avail. Yet had it angered her enough to want Linda dead? No. Absolutely not.
Maria then asked Melissa if she had entered the Outer Banks Regional Bake-Off. She had, of course. It was quite an opportunity since the winner would be a guest on a nationally televised cooking show. As soon as she heard about the contest, she had sent in her entry form. Her friend informed her that Linda also planned to enter the contest. It wasn’t unusual since Linda always did like the spot light and had even been on a televised cooking contest a few years back. However, it was strange given that this particular contest was targeted toward artisan breads, not wedding cakes which were Linda’s specialty. Although a wizard with cakes, Linda didn’t even offer breads in her bakery. For her to enter a contest for artisan breads did seem a bit odd. Luis added that while at the grocery store a couple weeks back he had overheard Linda say she intended to beat Melissa at her own game. From the sound of the conversation, it sounded like her primary goal was simply to humiliate her rival. Melissa couldn’t understand Linda’s continued outright hatred of her all these years. Sadly, she wondered if perhaps there was a little something “off” about the woman. Did mentally healthy people hold on so tightly and so bitterly to what to most would be considered minor grudges?
This information got Melissa to thinking. Could the bake-off be related to why Linda was in her bakery when she was killed? Could this be tied to the missing recipe cards? Both breads were known to be Melissa’s very best and she had intended on entering one into the contest. It seemed so silly that this whole fiasco was over a baking contest, but she couldn’t rule anything out.
“There’s something else you should know,” Luis began. “We don’t know this for a fact. It’s more gossip at this point, but there has been some talk that Linda and Lloyd were having marital problems.” Melissa was stunned. The couple always appeared to be the epitome of the happy-ever-after husband and wife. They were never seen in public when they weren’t holding hands. Besides, Linda would tell anybody and everybody that would listen just how happy they were together and how blessed she felt. How Linda’s marriage fit into this story was unclear but again, it was something to go on.
Logan came back into the room as the trio were speculating if and how this information played into the other woman’s demise and the break-in at the Kill Devil Delicacies. Melissa vowed to call Jason the next morning about the information, but neither Luis nor Maria thought it was a good idea. Well, if not the detective, she decided she should at least let her newly hired lawyer know. The adults turned the conversation to more amiable subjects for the boy’s benefit. He never let on that he had overheard everything. It was enough to whet his curiosity and he fully intended to find out more.
Later that evening, Melissa made the mistake of turning on the television after the group had enjoyed a wonderful, authentic Spanish meal compliments of Maria. There on her 32 inch Sony flat screen was video of Lloyd Stevenson holding a press conference in front of his home. He was railing against the police department for dragging their feet and not arresting someone for the brutal murder of his sweet wife. According to him, everyone knew who was guilty of the crime and there was no excuse for why that woman was not behind bars that very second. He went on to detail how the “guilty party” had even gone so far as to send in her employee to snoop in his own home as his family grieved. In the background, his adult children were clearly visible with his daughter sobbing and his son standing stoically holding her hand.
Before they had a chance to watch the entire scene play out, Luis grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. Melissa was shocked into silence. Not the case for Logan. The boy was beyond angry at this point. “How dare that man attack my aunt?!” He ranted and raved for several minutes before collapsing on the sofa next to Melissa, near tears. Dumbfounded, she took his hands in her own. Without words, the two consoled each other. Luis and his wife stayed a couple more hours to care for their friend and her distraught nephew. Neither believed Melissa was guilty of doing any harm to Linda. Neither could understand Lloyd Stevenson’s public display of outrage, even for a supposed grief-stricken man. The situation was spiraling out of control fast. They just hoped somewhere along the line common sense would prevail before their friend ended up in jail for a crime she could not possibly have committed.
Chapter 14
Melissa received a call from Britney late in the evening informing her that the young woman had been brought in for questioning by the police. This on top of everything else contributed to a fitful night’s sleep. Not rested at all, Melissa woke up even earlier than usual. She could hear Logan’s gentle snores coming from his room. What she really wanted to do was go for a long walk to clear her head, but with the high probability of being harassed by reporters, she settled for a large cup of coffee and some leftover marzipan to be enjoyed on her deck. It was still pitch black dark and a bit chilly so she wrapped up in her fuzzy robe.
She replayed all the events of the last couple days over and over again in her mind, trying to make sense of everything. What she knew was:
Linda was found dead in her bakery.
Someone had broken into her bakery through the back door. Was it Linda or someone else?
The cash from the safe was missing as well as two particular recipe cards - Rosemary Sea Salt bread and Orange-Cranberry bread.
Linda had intended to enter the Outer Banks Regional Bake-Off artisan bread contest.
It seemed Linda’s primary goal had been simply to defeat Melissa in the contest out of leftover spite from high school.
Linda had a picture on her home office desk from high school with Melissa’s face crossed through. Disturbing.
Lloyd Stevenson was
telling anyone and everyone that Melissa was guilty, although she was unaware of any evidence against her.
It was rumored that Lloyd and Linda were having marital issues.
Nothing added up. There had to be something she was missing.
Just as the sun started to rise, Melissa’s phone rang. First it was her brother checking on Logan. He was running late to the airport for a business trip to Chicago so it was a brief chat. She really thought he would be more concerned about his son being in the midst of all this chaos.
Shortly after another call came in from her newly hired attorney, Janice. Apparently, she had been burning the midnight oil as she had more information about the case. She confirmed that Lloyd and Linda Stevenson were having problems with their marriage. The now deceased wife had hired a private detective several months ago to keep track of her husband’s whereabouts. The detective had handed over his files to the police already but kept copies for himself. Just a couple weeks ago he had presented Linda with the evidence against her husband which showed he frequented a strip club, and suspected brothel, in Nags Head. There were pictures of him coming out of the club with a bleach blonde, leggy woman.
Janice went on to add that Linda had requested the detective check into Lloyd’s finances. He had uncovered that her husband had taken out a substantial life insurance policy on Linda about one year ago. $1.5 million to be exact. She had not known about the policy until that time. When she found that out, the detective said Linda had raged that she wouldn’t allow him to get away with this. He assumed she meant that she would file for divorce but he never heard back from her.
All this was highly interesting information. Perhaps Lloyd killed his wife or had someone do it for him but he had to place blame elsewhere. The known dislike Linda and Melissa felt for each other was enough to make the accusation look legitimate while keeping the focus off of himself. Janice was confident that if the private investigator’s files were already in police custody, they could put two and two together. Sadly, Melissa was not so certain.
She was right to doubt. A couple hours after the call with her lawyer ended, there was a knock at the front door. Melissa opened the door to find Detectives Payne and Reynolds, along with an entire team of uniformed cops. Detective Reynolds shoved a piece of paper in her face as Jason apologized for the intrusion but there had been a tip called into the precinct the night before. The paper was a search warrant for her home and for her bakery.
Chapter 15
By the time the police finished with searching her home, Melissa felt violated. Nothing had gone untouched. Her computer was taken into custody for something Jason called “forensic review”. Her clothes were dumped onto her bed as they rummaged through her dresser and closet. Same with Logan’s things. The kitchen was a disaster zone with utensils and cooking equipment strewn along the countertops and table. When she thought there couldn’t possibly be anywhere else for them to look, a couple officers headed outside to the garbage bins behind the house. Melissa watched with dismay as they turned over the bins allowing the contents to fall onto the small lawn. She certainly hoped they planned to clean all this up, but she wasn’t very optimistic.
During the search, she and Logan had been instructed to wait outside. They retreated to the back deck area so they could still see what was happening inside the house through the French doors. Detective Payne played things strictly by the book. However, he gave her a few apologetic looks, especially when he noticed an officer mishandling her things or in general making a huge mess. A couple times a uniformed officer placed something in a plastic bag and handed it off to another for safe keeping. Melissa assumed these items were being taken as evidence, but had no idea why. The recipe box was one of these items. Other baking items were also included – serrated bread and cake knives, a stainless steel curved kiss knife, a dough cutter/scraper, cheese knife, and a pear corer. It appeared the search was for sharp baking instruments. Then an officer came out of her laundry room with all the dirty clothes from the last few days. Wryly, Melissa hoped they intended to take the clothes to be washed, dried, and folded. The one household task she liked the absolute least was laundry. Every time someone bagged an item, Detective Reynolds would write something down on his notepad and cast a suspicious look her way. Melissa’s patience with that man was about to reach its breaking point.
Initially, Logan very loudly objected to what the cops were doing to his aunt’s house. She managed to calm him down. Melissa wasn’t happy about the situation either, but was smart enough to realize that arguing would only make matters worse at this point. As her house was being destroyed and her things taken as evidence, she could only look on in horror at the mess her life had become in such a short time.
Jason informed them that a similar search was being conducted at the bakery. Melissa didn’t understand why they had to search there again. Hadn’t they already discovered whatever there was to discover there when Linda was first found? He shook his head “no”. He quietly explained that a tip had been called in giving very specific information about items that may or may not be in Melissa’s home and at the bakery. Part of his job was to follow up on every lead. Considering she knew she wasn’t guilty of anything, Melissa suspected that the “tip” had been called in by Linda’s husband. He seemed to enjoy causing trouble for her. When she asked Jason, he gave the expected response, “We can’t discuss any details of the case at this time.”
“Now that’s total bull and you know it! You’re invading my home and treating me and my nephew like criminals. I have a right to know what is going on!” she angrily retorted. Melissa was normally a very mild-tempered person. It took a lot to push her buttons. This really had gone too far. Feeling her blood boil, she didn’t want to make a scene in front of Logan. The boy had really gone through too much for such a young man. It wouldn’t be fair to him if she lost her cool now. She tried to calm herself so he wouldn’t hear the tremble in her voice. Realizing she wasn’t going to get any information from Jason, she continued to sit on her deck and watch as the police turned her house upside down looking for something that couldn’t possibly be found – evidence – because she wasn’t guilty!
As the police wrapped up their search of her home, Jason’s phone rang. She only heard one side of the conversation, but it didn’t bode well as far as she could tell. The normally calm cop became quite agitated. He brusquely barked orders to whoever was on the other end of the line to “bag everything” and to leave a patrol at the front and back of the bakery.
With the call ended, he motioned for Detective Reynolds to join him in the kitchen. The only highlight of this entire ordeal occurred as the stouter, shorter officer tripped over some baking pans littering the tiled kitchen floor. Both Melissa and Logan giggled loudly. Even a few of the uniformed cops that remained inside the house found it difficult to suppress a chuckle or smile. As the older gentleman flashed angry glances around the room, his eyes landed on Melissa. The look on his face was easy to read. He was ticked off. For whatever reason he had it in for her. All he had to do was wait for the right piece of evidence so he could lock her up. His malicious stare assured her that he already believed her guilty and would stop at nothing to prove it. She just hoped he wasn’t in such a rush to convict her that he overlooked evidence that would exonerate her.
That hope was dashed as the two detectives ended their confab in the kitchen. With a sad look on Jason’s face and a gleam of satisfaction from the other detective, they walked out to the deck. “Mrs. Melissa Maples, you are under arrest for the murder of Linda Stevenson. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him/her present while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning if you wish. You can decide at any time to exercise these rights and not answer any questions or make any statements,” Detective Reynolds said with a smile. He continued, “Mrs. Maples,
do you understand each of these rights as I have explained them to you?” Stunned speechless, Melissa responded the only way she could by a slight nod of her head.
Chapter 16
It was Melissa’s first time in the back of a police squad car. She dearly hoped it would be her last. Jason kindly volunteered to stay behind with the distraught teenager until friends arrived to care for the boy. Before he handcuffed her, he offered to call Maria and Luis for her. He also tried to reassure her that Logan would be okay. Melissa highly doubted that since the poor boy had just watched his beloved aunt be arrested. She instructed Logan to call his parents to let them know what was going on. Detective Reynolds overheard and gruffly stated that Logan wouldn’t be going anywhere as he was designated as a potential witness. He even had the audacity to suggest that Logan could be upgraded to a potential accomplice to murder. “Now that really is bull----!” she retorted.
At least the ride to the precinct was short. The elderly detective used the time to completely infuriate Melissa as he hummed happily the entire trip. Melissa thought of more than a few words to call the man. None of those words were polite. After being booked - complete with a not-so-lovely mug shot, the confiscation of all her belongings, and being fingerprinted - the detective led Melissa to a small interrogation room where he handcuffed her to the table. “This may be a good time to allow me a phone call to my attorney,” she tersely requested. Nodding, he brought over a cordless phone and left the room.
Needless to say Janice Littleton was shocked when she received the call. She had not expected her client to be arrested for the crime. Suspected? Yes, but clearly there was insufficient evidence. Within less than a half hour, she burst through the precinct door demanding to see her client. Detective Reynolds directed her to the interrogation room. He already turned on the recording device in the tiny room behind the two-way mirror.
A Pinch of Sea Salt and a Dash of Murder (Outer Banks Baker Mystery Series Book 1) Page 6