“Because it was found at his house and his keys were still on him,” Amy said.
“Right,” Heather agreed. “But I think it was the killer who moved Stone’s body. And that’s why his car smelled like lavender.”
“His corpse smelled like lavender?” Amy asked.
“It does if you wrap it up in fragrant yoga mats,” Heather said. “You could use those Pilates bands or ropes to tie him up inside the mats. Then you could transport the body without getting blood everywhere.”
“And it made his car smell like lavender,” Amy agreed.
“It’s a little tricky because the killer would have to use the car to move the body, bring the car back to Stone’s house and then return his keys to where he was buried – but it was that effort that confused us for so long,” Heather said.
"Then the killer found a place to dispose of the incriminating yoga equipment,” Ryan said. “She hoped the body wouldn’t be found until much later. Without the yoga supplies to link it back to the class, we might have thought he was killed for another reason. I wonder if we’ll be able to find those supplies.”
"Disposing of them is another stop she had to make in the middle of the night," Amy said. "That is a lot of work for one person."
Heather frowned. “Do you think it’s possible that it was more than one person?”
“That would make the driving easier,” Ryan said. “If one person drove Stone Hendrick’s car and the other drove the car that they would travel away from his house in.”
“But then two people would have to agree to murder somebody together,” Amy said. “That’s an awkward conversation to start.”
“Maybe not as awkward if you both just discovered the same thing – that the man you loved was using you,” Heather suggested.
“But this makes it more difficult,” Amy said. “I didn’t know who it was when it was one killer. How am I supposed to know when it’s two people? I can’t just say if the shoe fits, wear it because everyone has the same motive.”
“If the shoe fits,” Heather said, trailing off.
Feeling like he should add something to the conversation instead of just enjoying the delicious donuts, Jamie said, “I think she just figured out who the killer is.”
“I think I do,” Heather said. “Or, if it’s a partnership, who one of the killers are. We’ll have to examine the shoes to see if we can prove it forensically. But maybe we can get one partner to roll on the other.”
“I’m all for rolls,” Amy said, picking up a donut and admiring its shape.
“I think it’s time we brought someone into the interrogation room,” Heather said.
“I’ll call Peters,” Ryan said, and then paused. “Though I think he might have rescheduled his bike tour for today.”
The Interrogation Room
“What am I doing here?” Tiff asked. She pushed her glasses up on her nose and crossed her arms. She stared at the investigators across the table.
"We'd like to talk more about Stone Hendrick's murder," Detective Peters said. He was wasting no time getting down to business today. He wanted to make his private bike tour on time.
"I thought we went through this already,” Tiff said. “Pauline and I were together all night. We opened up a bottle of Pinot Grigio, exchanged sob stories and ended up having a sleepover.”
“Yes,” Heather said. “You told us that before. In fact, you used those exact words before. So did Pauline. I should have noticed it earlier. It had been rehearsed.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Tiff said.
"What’s ridiculous is thinking that you could get away with murder,” Amy said.
“I didn’t kill anyone,” Tiff said.
“If you didn’t kill him, you certainly helped clean up the crime,” Heather said. “That’s at least aiding and abetting.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tiff said stubbornly.
"You made a mistake," Heather said.
“Besides not know that he had installed a key finder device that led us to his body,” Amy said.
“It all came down to his shoes,” Heather said.
“His shoes?” asked Tiff.
“You or Pauline killed Stone Hendricks in a fit of rage at the yoga studio,” Heather explained. “Then the other decided to help her cover up the crime. However, because he was killed right after class, he didn’t have his shoes on. You couldn’t find them in the studio and didn’t want to waste time looking for them when you had a dead body on your hands.”
“They were in the office, by the way,” Amy added.
"After you moved the body in Stone’s own car,” Heather started.
“Because you hoped that if any blood or DNA happened to seep through the yoga mats you wrapped him in that it could be explained away as being from him at another time,” Ryan said.
"You and Pauline decided to bury Stone Hendrick's body at a random beach that you hoped no one would find. You didn't want his murder to be linked to a certain time and place, so you made sure that his keys were on his person and that he had shoes on his feet," said Heather. "Your shoes."
“What do you mean my shoes?” asked Tiff.
“You made such a big deal about how I stepped on your toes,” Amy said. “It turns out you were the only one who had feet big enough that you could share shoes with him. Your flipflops fit on his feet. Since it was appropriate beachwear, you thought it was perfect. But it’s your downfall.”
“We’re running tests on the shoes now,” Ryan said. “If you’ve worn them before, we’ll know.”
"Fine," Tiff said. "I confess. They're my shoes. And I helped clean up the mess, but I didn't kill him. Pauline was furious when she found out that he was seeing everyone except her. She was always baking him food and giving him things. She felt like he was using her and was hurt that she was the only one who was ignored. She hit him over the head with the medicine ball after we left. I came back because I wanted to give Stone a piece of my mind and I saw what she did. I told her that I would help her cover it up because, well, he deserved it.”
After Tiff’s confession, the investigators met outside in the hall.
“Good work, everyone,” Heather said.
“It’s not over yet,” Ryan said. “We have the second arrest to make.”
That wiped the smile off of Peter’s face.
“It’s okay,” Ryan said. “Go and meet Janae. I’ll handle it.”
"Are you sure?" Peters asked though it was clear that he wanted to leave.
“I’m sure,” Ryan said, smiling at Heather and Amy. “I think I have backup if I need it.”
Heather watched the boats glide past, feeling peaceful after a trying week. The lighted boat parade was a beautiful procession of sailboats that were lit up with holiday cheer.
Lilly and Nicolas were thoroughly impressed. Eva and Leila were also having a good time and were remarking on how if they were to take up sailing that they would leave the cheery lights on year-round. Amy was leaning against Jamie and smiling.
Heather squeezed her husband’s hand.
"You know the only thing that could make this more perfect?” she asked.
“I think so,” Ryan said, revealing a Chocolate Peppermint Donut that he had brought with him.
It was a perfect night.
The End.
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About the Author
Susan Gillard is a lover of all things mysterious. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where her love of murder mystery novels grew.
Now she travels the country in search of the best baked goods and engaging with the locals who often become the inspiration for her wacky characters.
Get in Touch with Susan
SusanGillard.com
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Chocolate Peppermint & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 13 Page 7