Spiced Maple & Murder

by Susan Gillard

  Ryan nodded. They continued to look at the setup of the room. It was still arranged with the sculptures taking up a large section in the middle of the room. The statute made by the quiet man was made out of pipes and tubing, with pinecone accents. Next to his was a very tall tree made out of pinwheels and lights that was being worked on by the small woman in the class. Continuing in a circle around the room, next was the handsome man's metal tree. Ray's tree came after that. It was still in rough shape but was being decorated with fishing lure. Finally, was Tricia’s own tree. It looked as if at first it was being built from material scavenged from boats, was being changed to include other tools as well.

  "I hate that something that's supposed to be so creative and cheery was used to kill someone,” Amy said.

  "It might have been difficult to kill someone too," Heather said. "As Detective Peters pointed out if she couldn't have fallen on it, then someone had to drop her onto the murder weapon."

  “Like someone picked her up and dropped her on it?” Amy asked.

  “Or threw her,” said Heather.

  “Are any of the artists strong enough to have done that?” asked Ryan.

  “I think any of the men could have. They all looked pretty strong,” said Heather. “Kendall also has big arm muscles from her work.”

  “I really hope it’s not her,” Amy said.

  “Is there any other way that she could have gotten on top of that tree statue?” Detective Peters asked.

  “There’s always the chance of other possibilities,” Heather said. “But I don’t see any stepstools or ladders in here. Do you?”

  “No,” Peters said. “Though I can keep looking.”

  “If the killer didn’t have any help, then it had to be someone strong,” Ryan said, thinking.

  “Is there anything else you found that could be helpful?” Heather asked.

  “Unfortunately, because so many people use this space, there are too many fingerprints o be of any use,” said Ryan. “But there is something interesting over here.”

  He gestured to a can of spilled paint on the ground.

  “Was this like this yesterday?”

  “No,” said Heather. “It must have spilled last night.”

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Amy asked, looking at the reddish paint on the ground.

  “What?” asked Heather. “That the killer might have gotten some of the paint on him last night.”

  “Right,” said Amy. “So, there’s a chance that we might be able to catch him red-handed.”

  They all groaned, but secretly hoped she was right.

  Questioning Kendall

  “I didn’t know you were private investigators too,” Kendall said.

  “They’ve helped us on several cases,” Ryan said, proudly. “And this seems like an especially vicious case.”

  “I can’t believe someone was killed in my studio,” Kendall said. “Poor Tricia.”

  Kendall sat on one side of the table in the interrogation room at the police station, while the two detectives and Amy and Heather were on the other.

  “Why didn’t you meet me today?” Amy asked. “Where were you?”

  “I’m sorry,” Kendall said. “I was just running late. I have a new dog, and he's been pretty hyper. By the time I got to the studio, it was already marked off as a crime scene. I'm just glad I got there before the watercolor class showed up. I'm sure this scared off some of the students."

  “Miss Dakwa, we need to know more about your studio space,” Ryan said.

  “Sure,” said Kendall. “What do you want to know?”

  “Who had access to the building?” Heather asked.

  “I’m the only one with keys,” Kendall said. “But I sometimes let people stay in the building when I’m not there. I make sure to open up for classes and for studio time. If I know them well, sometimes I let people close up for me too.”

  “And what were the circumstances last night?” Ryan asked.

  "We had the studio open for the sculptors to work on their entries for the tree statue competition, but Tricia was upset about her materials being missing, and I told her that she could stay late. I gave the same offer to all the other artists so it would be fair."

  “And who did stay?” Detective Peters asked.

  “Tricia and Horatio were the ones who stayed late,” Kendall said. “But Tricia was there by herself when I left.”

  “You left her alone?” Heather asked.

  “Yes,” said Kendall. “I trusted her in the workspace, and she told me that she would lock the doors when she left."

  “What time was that?” Heather asked.

  “I must have left around nine,” said Kendall. “I had to go home and let the dog out.”

  “Did you ever have any troubles with Miss Mollins?” Ryan asked.

  “She could be a bit of a handful,” Kendall admitted. “But I wouldn’t call it real troubles.”

  "Because it does seem like you were the last one to see her alive," Ryan said. "Besides her killer. Unless, of course, you were the killer too."

  Kendall paled, but then said, “I didn’t kill her. There was no reason for me to kill her.”

  “Maybe she took advantage of your studio a little too often?” suggested Ryan. “Or she needed more attention than you wanted to give?”

  “No,” Kendall said. “Many artists are a little strange or demanding. And she was one of my best artists. She won the tree competition last year, and that made many students sign up for classes with me.”

  "Do you know anyone who would want to hurt her?” Heather asked.

  “Like Ray?” asked Amy.

  “Tricia and Ray were at odds because of the competition last year and, as you saw, she thought he was the one to take her boat propeller. She would have little tiffs with most of the other artists at one point or another. There wasn’t anything that I thought would lead to killing her,” Kendall said.

  “Unfortunately, something did,” said Ryan.

  “Is this a high stakes tree sculpting competition?” Detective Peters asked. “Would winning it be something to kill for?”

  "It's more of a pride thing than the prizes offered," said Kendall. "I also wouldn't have thought it could lead to murder. But obviously, something did."

  “Did anyone else know she would be there that night?” Heather asked. “Besides the other artists.”

  "I don't know," Kendall said. "It was a bit late when the session ended. I know Lincoln had to run away right when the regular time let out. And I think the others headed home. They might have told someone she was there, but it doesn't give anyone a lot of time to plan to get there. I didn't see her use her phone to let anyone know she was staying late. I don't know who she would have called. She lived alone, and I don't know of her being romantically involved with anyone.”

  “Anyone besides the artists wouldn't have known about the pointy statue perfect for killing," said Amy. "But, then again, they might not have planned this too far in advance. Maybe they just saw the opportunity to kill and took it."

  "There were no other signs of a struggle beside the paint can," said Heather. "So, either she was caught by surprise or didn't feel threatened by the killer."

  "Was there anything special about this paint can found at the scene?" Ryan asked, showing Kendall a picture the color, and giving Amy a warning look to tell her not to repeat her joke from before.

  “We have a lot of paint in the studio,” Kendall started before looking at the photo. “Actually, there is something about that. That’s a custom-ordered color. It’s not one you’d find everywhere.”

  “It looks red to me,” Detective Peters, said frowning.

  "It's called Holly Berry Jam Red,” said Kendall. “Ray had ordered it for his project. It arrived yesterday, but I don’t think I saw him open it while I was there.”

  “So, how did it get on the floor?” Amy asked. “Was there an art thief that was using paint and propellers? Or did it fall during the commission of
the crime? Or was it some sort of modern art project on the floor and a murder just happened to occur near it?”

  Ryan started to thank Kendall for her help with the matter and told her they would contact her if they had any other questions. He also mentioned that they would be checking up on her timeframe and alibi to make sure that she couldn’t have returned to the studio that night.

  “Wait a moment,” Kendall said. “I guess I can’t account for all of the night, but I do have some timestamps for part of it. I was taking pictures of my new puppy on my phone and the time is on them.”

  She showed the investigators her phone, and they saw many pictures throughout the night of an adorable sandy furball completely destroying her living room.

  “Miss Marshmallow really isn’t that bad,” Amy said to her friend.

  “The only one who is really bad in this case is the killer,” said Heather. “And we need to figure out who that is.”

  “Right,” said Amy. “Whoever decided to decorate the tree in such a terrible way needs to go to jail.”

  Lights

  After the decorations from Mr. Rankle had been found to be bug-free, Heather’s team began making Donut Delights look more festive.

  “Maybe he really does just want our whole street to look jolly,” Amy said, not sure if she believed it or not.

  “We were looking a little bare,” Heather said. “Because the shop still feels so new, I haven’t been doing very much to furnish it for the holidays. I was still getting used to the regular look of it.”

  “Are you getting used to the employees too?” Digby asked.

  “You do take some getting used to,” Amy teased.

  They laughed and began putting up the decorations that had been donated to them.

  “I’m sorry that a murder case is interfering with your new hobby,” Heather said.

  Amy shrugged. “It is what it is. I still want to continue with the art. I think the best thing for us to do is to catch this killer quickly.”

  “I’d love to do that,” Heather said. “We have a lot of artists that we’re going to have to interview.”

  “Almost all of them seem like they had the opportunity to pull it off,” said Amy.

  Heather nodded. "They all knew that she would be working late that night. One of the artists could have come back later in the evening and pretended that they wanted to work on their own project. But what they really wanted was the time alone with Tricia Mollins to murder her."

  "They also all knew about the current state of the statues," said Amy. "They knew that Horatio’s was pointy enough to cause damage. But that it was short enough for it to be used as a weapon.”

  “This lady was really impaled by a tree?” Digby asked.

  “It was a metal statue made of pipes,” Heather explained.

  “And it was like those pits you see in movies,” Amy continued. “Where you fall through the floor and onto a spear.”

  “Yuck,” said Digby. “And you think she fell through the floor?”

  “Actually, we think that someone strong threw her onto it,” Heather said.

  “I hate killers,” Luz said, joining them. “They’re so mean.”

  “Agreed,” said Amy. “The problem is that we still have a lot of suspects.”

  "Right," said Heather. "It was Horatio's statue that was used, and he was the last artist to leave besides Tricia that night. The paint on the floor was Ray's, and he was the one who fought with the victim that morning. The other man--"

  “The handsome guy,” Amy said, nodding.

  “He would also have been strong enough to have killed her,” Heather continued. “And the female artist, Lucy, also knew Tricia would be there that night.”

  “I like that you’re not including Kendall in this list,” Amy said.

  “It is possible she did it,” said Heather. “But those photos do show that she was at home a good portion of the night, and it does seem like her business might suffer because of the murder. Right now, there’s no motive for her to commit the crime.”

  “And I hope it stays that way,” Amy said.

  They finished setting up the decorations and admired their handiwork.

  "This looks festive and cheerful,” Heather said. “Good job, everyone.”

  “There sure are a lot of lights though,” said Amy.

  “Bright and cheerful,” Heather amended.

  "Merry Christmas!” Mr. Rankle said, entering the shop.

  “Merry Christmas,” Heather said. “Did you come to admire our display based on your contributions?”

  “Even better,” Mr. Rankle said. “I came to bring even more holiday cheer.”

  He presented them with another box of decorations.

  “Thank you,” Heather said. “But I think we’ve decorated the shop as much as we can. It’s already lovely based on what you gave us before.”

  “I know that you’re new to the Christmas season here,” Mr. Rankle said. “And that’s why I’m going out of my way to help you out. You see, because we’re so tropical and are surrounded by palm trees, sometimes people don't think of the holidays as really being upon us. And so, we as a neighborhood need to do our part to make it as festive as possible."

  “Okay,” Heather said. “I guess we’ll do our part for the neighborhood.”

  “How many decorations do you have up?” Amy asked suspiciously.

  “See for yourself,” said Mr. Rankle. “I have those snowy paintings on my windows and a winter train display setup. I would put up the twinkle lights, but unfortunately, they bother my old eyes. I wouldn’t want them to go to waste though, and that is why I’m donating them to you.”

  Heather thanked him for his new contribution and then turned to her staff after he left.

  “His behavior is confusing,” said Heather. “But he does have decorations up himself.”

  Digby shrugged. "The last restaurant I worked at on this street put up lights for the holidays. They didn't go crazy though because they wanted the possibility of a romantic atmosphere."

  “Do you think he’s trying to lull us into a false sense of security?” Amy asked. ‘The first batch of decorations were okay, but he did something tricky with these ones?”

  “Let’s take the same precautions as before,” Heather said. “I really don’t want to be worried about Christmas lights when I have a killer to track down.”

  The First Artist Interview

  Heather and Amy approached a bright little house with a mosaic driveway and pinwheels in the yard. They knocked on the door and waited for the female artist from the sculpting session to answer.

  “Hello?” the small woman said.

  “You’re Lucy Long?” Heather asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “I remember you. You were the beginner artists watching us work the other night.”

  “Well, I’m an artist,” Amy said happily. “And she’s my friend.”

  “We’re also private investigators,” Heather said. “We’re assisting the Key West police on a murder case.”

  “A murder case?” Lucy asked. “Was it someone I knew?”

  “Tricia Mollins,” Heather said. “We’d like to ask you some questions.”

  “Sure,” Lucy said, leading them inside. “I can’t believe Tricia is dead.”

  They sat down in her living room, and Amy took out her tablet to take notes on their questioning.

  “Did you know Tricia Mollins well?” Heather asked once they were all situated.

  “You get to know the other artists at the studio,” Lucy said. “I didn’t hang out with her outside of the art sessions, and I’m not sure if any of the others did. She could be overwhelming at times. But she was working there for a few years.”

  “She might not have been friends with any of the others, but did she have any real troubles with anyone there?” Heather asked.

  "Well," Lucy said, biting her lip. "She and Ray were at odds a lot."

  “That’s who we saw her fighting with about stealing each
other’s ideas?” Amy said.

  “That’s right. They were arguing while you were there,” Lucy said. “And that was mild for them. When the competition rolled around last year, they were screaming at each other daily. They both said that the other one stole their idea for the competition.”

  “Did one of them do it?” Heather asked.

  Lucy shrugged. “They ended up with similarly themed pieces, so I think one did borrow ideas from the other. I couldn’t say who had the idea first.”

  "But if one of them thought that they were wronged by the other it could be a motive for murder," Amy said.

  “If you were really worried about secrecy for the contest, then you should make your own arrangements for design. Most of the time we work in the same space, so you’re bound to see some of what the others are working on. Most of the time it’s fun. It can be inspiring,” said Lucy.

  “Do the others feel the same?” Heather asked.

  Lucy shrugged. “I think Lincoln found the atmosphere inspiring too. He was easy to get along with. Horatio was too. He was quiet. But Ray was quite volatile. Maybe being there and being angry helped him with his art.”

  Amy raised her eyebrows.

  "Did you stay to work on your sculpture after the session that night?” Heather asked.

  "No," Lucy said. "I didn't run out of there as quickly as Lincoln did. He had band practice. He's there all night after the sessions. But I did leave soon after the regular time. I think only Horatio and Kendall were still there with Tricia when I left."

  “And what did you do after you left?” asked Heather.

  “I just went home,” Lucy said. “Nothing exciting.”

  "Were you alone?" asked Heather.

  A flicker of annoyance passed over Lucy's face, but then she said, "That's right. This is a small place, and I live here alone. I’m not seeing anyone at the moment.”

  “So, no one can verify what time you were here?” Heather asked.