Olivia’s cell phone vibrated, and she flipped it open. A text message from Del read, “I’ll be there in a couple minutes. Hang tight.” Olivia snapped her phone shut. Hang tight? What’s that supposed to mean?
When Jennifer appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, Olivia thought it might be a good time to confront her about why she’d left her post at the refreshment tables. Jennifer glanced in her direction and saw Dougie. Olivia waved to her, but Jennifer spun around and went back inside the building as if she didn’t want Dougie to see her. It struck Olivia that Jennifer had never been around when Dougie and Trevor showed up. Had Jennifer lured them to Chatterley Heights in order to…what? To kill whichever one she assumed had murdered her sister?
“Dougie?”
Dougie started. He eyed Olivia warily.
“I am just going to keep asking you until you tell me the truth. Why did you and Trevor really come to Chatterley Heights? Was it because someone was blackmailing you?”
Dougie’s jaw dropped, but he didn’t move.
“Please, Dougie, just tell me. I don’t think you killed Trevor.”
Dougie stared into Olivia’s eyes, cleared his throat. “Yes,” he said, “someone was trying to blackmail both of us over something that happened a long time ago.”
Olivia nodded. “The murder of Melissa Nortenson. And you were innocent.” She made it a statement of fact.
“Yes. Trevor said he was innocent, too. He needed an alibi, and so did I, so we alibied each other. I was never sure of his innocence until…”
“Until when? Please, Dougie. I don’t think we have much time.”
Dougie’s eyes searched the patio.
“Are you looking for Jennifer Nortenson?”
Dougie nodded. “She was the only one we could think of who would try to blackmail us…the only one who might care enough to follow through after all these years. Trevor refused to pay. He insisted on confronting her. That’s when I felt more sure that he might be innocent.”
“Are you sure Trevor wasn’t intending to silence Jennifer permanently?”
“I was his muscle,” Dougie said. “Permanent silencing would have been my job. But Trevor never so much as hinted that he wanted me to frighten Jennifer or ‘handle’ the situation in any other way. We both met with her, together and separately, and she’s still alive and kicking.” Dougie stared out at the gardens. “Back when the police questioned me about Melissa’s murder, they showed me a photo of her body. I think they were trying to shock me into saying something self-incriminating. They seemed certain she’d been pushed over that cliff, but they didn’t tell me why they thought that. Trevor was never rough with women. Not physically, anyway. If Melissa had refused his advances, which I sincerely doubt, he would have walked away. To Trevor it was all a game. Women weren’t really individuals to him; they didn’t truly matter.”
“I don’t understand why Jennifer tried to blackmail the two of you in the first place. Was she just hoping to make some money?”
Dougie shook his head. “She was absolutely convinced that one of us had killed her sister. She was trying to figure out which of us was guilty. She was open about that. Then when we both showed up, she thought maybe we’d done it together. She acted confused.”
Was Jennifer acting? If Jennifer wasn’t the killer, then it had to be…Howie. Brilliant, ruthless, unattractive. Howie was a genius, but he’d always been unsuccessful with the opposite sex, both in high school and beyond. He’d lost his high-level job because he broke the law, but he was skilled enough to cover his tracks.
Though small, Howie worked out, kept fit. He was probably strong enough to transport Trevor’s body. But why would Howie arrange the body on The Gingerbread House porch? Olivia thought she knew the answer. Jennifer moved to Chatterley Heights, using a different last name. Maybe Howie already knew about her blackmail scheme, or maybe he learned about it later. But he did find out that Trevor and Dougie were coming to Chatterley Heights because, as her mother had told Maddie, Lenora had visited every business on Town Square to spread the news. Howie surely knew they weren’t coming to visit Lenora. That’s when he realized he’d need to make one of them look guilty of Melissa Nortenson’s murder. Trevor was the most believable suspect, and Howie hated him, so he chose to implicate Trevor. For extra measure, Howie branded Trevor’s cheek with a gavel cookie cutter to point to Jennifer as a possible suspect. It had been an extra bonus when Wade showed up at the band shell and lost his temper with Trevor. That’s why I felt so overwhelmed with clues. There were too many suspects.
Poor, pretty, “slow” Melissa must have seemed like a sure conquest to Howie. But she wasn’t. Olivia could well imagine Howie’s rage, and the resulting violence, when Melissa resisted his advances. Olivia had no idea how Howie had made contact with Melissa’s younger sister. Maybe they’d simply run into each other. It made sense that Howie might keep an eye on Jennifer, especially once he realized she couldn’t let go of her sister’s unsolved murder. Maybe Jennifer reached out to Howie for help with the anonymous post about her sister’s death. Or perhaps he found the post online and deciphered the programming, which led him to Jennifer.
Olivia sank back in her chair. The break-ins…What about those? They happened before Dougie and Trevor arrived in town. They might be unconnected with Trevor’s murder, but if they were connected…Olivia glanced toward Howie, still standing on the path between the two gardens. He was watching her. No, not her, something behind her. Olivia twisted around in her chair. She saw Del striding in her direction. His eyes, however, were focused on Howie.
The rolling cart bearing the rose-petal cookie cake was not far from where Howie stood. Olivia saw him glance sideways at the cart. Maddie was watching him, too. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion as Howie sidled up to the cart and reached toward the handle. What Maddie could not see was the small silver object Howie drew from the pocket of his suit coat. Olivia couldn’t tell a pistol from a revolver, but she knew a gun when she saw one.
Olivia and Dougie sat between Del and Howie, right in harm’s way.
Olivia looked back and saw Del push a server to the ground. Del drew his weapon but kept it at his side. As he neared Howie, Del aimed his gun. Howie grasped the handle of the cart with Maddie’s wedding cookie cake.
“Dougie,” Olivia whispered.
“Oh jeez,” Dougie said as he saw Howie’s gun. He grabbed Olivia by the shoulder and pulled her under the table with him. Olivia watched in horror as Maddie, who stood behind Howie, took off at a run. But she wasn’t running away. She ran straight at Howie. As Howie pulled the cart back to give it a good shove forward, Maddie leaped onto his back. Her satin gown glowed in the late afternoon sunlight as she flung her knees around his waist.
With the fearless passion of a bride defending her wedding cake, Maddie wrapped her arms around Howie’s neck, and yelled, “Touch that cookie cake and you’re a dead man!”
Howie lost his balance. He toppled backward, choking, and fell on top of Maddie. The gun flew from his hand and slid out of his reach. Del kicked the gun farther away. He yanked Howie to his feet and cuffed his hands behind his back. Lucas arrived at a gallop, pulled Maddie to her feet, and threw his arms around her.
“Wow,” Dougie said. “That’s quite a woman.”
“That she is,” Olivia said. “That she is.”
Chapter Nineteen
When a volley of Yorkie yaps jolted Olivia from deep sleep, her chest began to thump. It took a few moments for her groggy brain to realize the thumping came from her own heart. She had no idea what had caused such a reaction. Her dreams, when she remembered them, usually contained images like cookies dancing in nonpareils or sprinkles. A nightmare, for Olivia, might involve a volcano spewing royal icing in all the colors of the rainbow.
Olivia lifted her head off the pillow and saw Spunky, ears perked, staring at her bedside table. “What’s up, Spunks?” His ears twitched, but he didn’t offer an explanation. Olivia struggled upright and examined the
table, which held a lamp and her cell phone. “Did my phone vibrate? At this hour?” She checked for recent messages and found a missed call from the store’s kitchen phone. No message. The date read May 6, which was…Today? From the kitchen phone? “Maddie cannot be baking at five thirty a.m. only a day and a half after she subdued a murderer at her own engagement party. Can nothing slow that woman down?”
Olivia slid out of bed and into the laceless, worn-out tennis shoes she used as slippers. “Come on, Spunks. Maddie needs a stern lecture and possibly a sleeping pill.”
When Olivia arrived downstairs and unlocked the door of The Gingerbread House, she found the sales floor lit as if they were opening in five minutes. Spunky sneaked past her and trotted toward the cookbook nook. Maddie’s voice said, “Hey, Spunks, did you unlock that door all by yourself? What a clever boy.”
Spunky answered with his happy yap.
“Little fibber,” Olivia called out. “Don’t think you can fool anyone but Maddie. I’m the one with the opposable thumbs, and don’t you forget it.” Spunky emerged from the cookbook nook and made straight for the front window, where he settled on his favorite chair.
Maddie poked her head into the room, looking all too alert. “I’m sorry, Livie. My call woke you up, didn’t it? I forgot what time it was. However, now that you’re up, I can start the music.”
“The music?”
“Don’t worry, Livie, not the Dixie Cups. You’ll love this.” Maddie disappeared back into the cookbook nook.
A moment later, Olivia heard a familiar strain, followed by a man’s voice singing, “I’m getting married in the morning….” “Maddie? What is Stanley Holloway doing in our cookbook nook?”
Maddie joined her, a puzzled expression on her freckled face. “Because I’m getting married, Livie.”
“I hate to break it to you, but your secret is out. The engagement bash was a big giveaway.”
“Let me explain, Livie. Lucas and I are getting married in the morning. This morning. At ten a.m. The ceremony will be here, so I’m decorating the store.”
“You’re…I…”
“You need coffee,” Maddie said. “And a cookie.” With a critical up-and-down look, she added, “And a long shower.”
“But why the change in plans?”
“Because, Livie, I’m not scared anymore. There’s nothing like a brush with death to make lifetime commitment look less terrifying. Also, no one at the party touched our gorgeous cookie cake, and it won’t last for a week.” With a broad grin, Maddie said, “Besides, now I have a story to tell my kids and grandkids. Grandma once captured a killer!”
“She did indeed.” Olivia gave her best friend since age ten a one-armed hug. “Do you need help with the arrangements?”
“All done,” Maddie said. “Del is still your date, by the way. Too late to swap him out for a new one. So run along and get ready. Be down here by nine forty-five, ready to party once again. This time we’ll lock the doors to keep itinerant murderers on the streets, where they belong.” Maddie disappeared into the cookbook nook.
Spunky hopped off his chair and joined Olivia as she left the store. During their journey back upstairs to her apartment, Olivia hummed the tune to “Get Me to the Church on Time.” She had no idea what the lyrics were.
* * *
By noon, Maddie and Lucas had been giddily married for over an hour, and the rose-petal cookie cake had dwindled by nearly half. To be fair, Olivia’s brother, Jason, was responsible for a substantial portion of the dwindling. Olivia was delighted to see Aunt Sadie sitting next to Maddie. She hadn’t felt up to attending the big engagement party. Though now confined to a wheelchair, Aunt Sadie looked delighted to be part of their more intimate group.
The wedding guest list had been expanded from the original three, not counting the wedding couple, to include Olivia’s family, Bertha, and Mr. Willard. It was Mr. Willard who had procured a justice of the peace to perform the hastily scheduled ceremony.
Despite the early hour, Olivia’s stepfather produced several bottles of chilled champagne. He popped the cork and began to pour. After several toasts, the guests nibbled on rose-petal cookie cake and chatted together in one group.
“So, Del, how about clearing up a few details for us,” Olivia asked with her most fetching smile. She stroked the back of Spunky’s neck as he snoozed on her lap.
“Like what?” Del lightly brushed the tip of her nose with his index finger.
“Like, is there any news about all those extra gavel cookie cutters that keep appearing around town…including in our kitchen?”
“Oh my,” said Mr. Willard and Bertha at the same time. They giggled and leaned closer to each other.
“The gavel cookie cutters all appear to be clear of incriminating evidence,” Del said. “So you and Maddie will remain free for the time being.”
“So good to know,” Olivia said. “Were those cutters attempts to create as many suspects as possible?”
“Howie hasn’t been terribly talkative,” Del said. “But that’s what we assume. We are relatively certain the gavel brand on Trevor’s cheek was intended to represent ‘justice,’ thereby implicating Jennifer in his murder. About the cookie in Trevor’s mouth, the girl in a light blue dress…We dug into Melissa Nortenson’s death and discovered she had been wearing a light blue dress when her body was found. Given that it was her younger sister who found her, we assume the cookie is yet another attempt to implicate Jennifer in Trevor’s murder.”
“That’s plain evil,” Bertha said. “Poor child.”
“Well, Jennifer has had her revenge on Howie for using her to hide his responsibility for her sister’s death. She filled in a number of the blanks. Jennifer admitted that she’d been convinced that Trevor and/or Dougie caused Melissa’s death, either willfully or by accident. She couldn’t let go until she knew the truth. She devised a plan, but she needed help from someone with strong Internet skills. So she brought Howie into the picture.”
“Slow down,” Olivia said. “How did Jennifer know about Howie’s skills?”
Del chuckled. “Because Howie’s ego is approximately the size of the universe. Jennifer found him online, where he was constantly trolling for female companionship. He bragged incessantly about his online prowess. Jennifer contacted him and pretended to be impressed. She initiated an online romance before offering to move to Chatterley Heights to be near him.”
“Back up a bit,” Maddie said. “Getting Trevor and Dougie to come to Chatterley Heights must have taken some time and effort. How did that happen?”
While Allan topped off champagne glasses, Del said, “Jennifer was single-minded in her pursuit of the truth about her sister’s death. It took many months. Once she’d convinced Howie that she was in love with him, she told him she couldn’t fully commit herself to a relationship until she let go of losing her beloved sister. She believed Melissa had been pushed off the cliff, and she wanted to know who was responsible. When she broached the idea of using the Internet to lure her two suspects, Trevor and Dougie, to Chatterley Heights, Howie jumped in feet first. Jennifer had hooked him by his ego…and his need to protect himself. He saw the situation as a chance to nab a grateful girlfriend while, at the same time, sending someone else to prison for his own actions. A win-win, so to speak.”
“Or a lose-lose, depending on your perspective,” Olivia said. “Did Jennifer suspect Howie might have been involved in Melissa’s death?”
“No, she did not.” With a slow shake of his head, Del added, “I wish people would leave the investigating to the professionals.”
“Well, I can sure understand Jennifer’s frustration,” Maddie said. “The police have had years to investigate her sister’s death, and it looks like they just let it go.” Lucas slipped his arm around her shoulders.
Del opened his mouth to respond, but he remained silent when Olivia cocked a warning eyebrow at him. “Anyway,” Del said, “Howie was convinced he was smart enough to implicate Trevor or Dougie in Melissa
’s death. When they showed up ready to fight for their reputations, Howie panicked. At the moment, I can only guess what happened, but I suspect that Trevor confronted Howie, maybe even accused Howie of pushing Melissa off the cliff because she resisted his questionable charms.”
“That sounds like Trevor,” Olivia said. “He was arrogant to the point of foolishness.”
“Fatal foolishness,” Ellie murmured. “Howie and Trevor were prone to self-delusion. Del, am I correct to think that Howie tried to implicate Jennifer because she had begun to suspect him of killing Trevor?”
“Oh yes, Ellie, you would be correct. Jennifer admitted as much. Of course, Jennifer knew she was innocent, so by setting her up to take the fall, Howie only convinced her that he was guilty.”
“Oh, what a tangled web, and so forth,” Ellie said. “So very sad.”
The group heard a tentative knock on the door of The Gingerbread House. Olivia handed Spunky over to Maddie and opened the door. Jennifer Ellsworth took a few shy steps inside. “Um, I just came to say good-bye,” she said, “and thank you.”
“Come in and have some champagne,” Maddie said. “And maybe half a cookie cake.”
Jennifer smiled, and her features softened. “No, really, thanks. I need to get going. I wanted to tell you that I’m leaving town. I…I’ve really enjoyed working here, but I think it’s best that I get on with my life, now that…well, now that my sister’s killer is behind bars. That has been my only goal for so many years, and now it’s accomplished. I just wanted to thank you for all you’ve done and to explain why I disappeared from the store sometimes. You see, I thought Howie was on my side, that he was helping me, so I had to meet with him on short notice. And I look a bit like my sister, so I didn’t want Trevor or Dougie to see me and get suspicious that I was the one pretending to blackmail them. I got more and more angry with Howie because he was doing stupid and dangerous things, like breaking into Chatterley Heights businesses and hurting people. I should have seen through him earlier, but…Anyway, I’m truly sorry for all the trouble I caused.” She slipped out the door so fast that no one had a chance to respond.
One Dead Cookie Page 26