“Not like Riley,” Kevin agreed.
“We both work and we’re proud of what we do, but we haven’t had quite the financial success that some of my siblings did,” said Kaitlin. “But that doesn’t mean that we’re not doing well enough. I just need to find a hotel that isn’t exorbitant.”
“Who will inherit now that your father has passed?” asked Heather.
“I suppose we all do,” Kaitlin said. “I think it’s divided between his children and Jocelyn gets something.”
“Have you heard anything about a change to the will?” Amy asked. This time it was her turn to look up from her electronic device. Amy was taking notes of all the questions on her tablet.
“I didn’t know about a change to the will,” Kaitlin said. “Who was he going to remove? Was it Bonnie?”
“Why would you think of Bonnie right away?” asked Heather.
“She and Dad used to bump heads,” said Kaitlin. “Mostly about Jocelyn. She didn’t like that he remarried.”
“Do you think that she would take action against your father?” Heather asked.
“I can’t believe she’d kill dad,” Kaitlin said. “Not my baby sister.”
“Did any of you other siblings have trouble with your father?” asked Heather.
“No,” Kaitlin. “I don’t think so.”
“And did any of them have financial problems?” Heather asked.
Kaitlin sighed. “I don’t think so. And even if they did, I don’t see why they would kill dad. They should have just asked him for money. He gave us some before.”
“You borrowed money from him?” Amy asked.
“He gave it to us,” said Kaitlin. “To help us get our house. He was a very generous man.”
She moved closer to her husband, who finally put his phone away in order to give her a hug.
“This has all been very hard on my wife,” Kevin said. “Can we finish this up?”
“We just need to know one more thing,” said Heather. “Where were you the two hours before the murder?”
“Well, I must have been,” Kaitlin began.
“You were with me,” Kevin said. “Right?”
“I guess so.”
“We were having breakfast with her brother and his wife,” said Kevin. “We were together the whole time. It was Rachel, Riley, me and my wife.”
“Is that true?” Heather asked Kaitlin.
“Yes,” Kaitlin replied. “I think I’d like to lay down now, and then get back to finding a hotel room.”
“I think I found one,” Kevin said. “The Porpoise Inn has very reasonable rates.”
"I know," said Kaitlin. "But I already contacted them. They said that they were all booked through the week."
“Someone must have canceled a reservation,” Kevin said. “Because I was just able to reserve a room.”
“That’s odd,” said Kaitlin. “Because they just told me that they didn’t have anything.”
“But it’s good news too, isn’t it?” Kevin asked.
“Yes,” said Kaitlin. “Good news.”
“Why don’t you lay down and I’ll go check us in?” He said. “I’ll be back soon.”
Then, he left the women alone.
“Would you like us to stay?” Heather asked.
“No, thank you,” Kaitlin said. “I think I’d like to be alone.”
Heather and Amy heeded her wishes and left.
“There’s something funny going on,” Heather remarked. “I wish I knew what it was.”
Donuts and Dilemmas
“Don’t worry,” Amy said. “As soon as we find the right clue, solving this will be as easy as pie. Or as easy eating Pumpkin Pie Brûlée donuts.”
“I like the enthusiasm,” Heather said. “But I don’t know what the clue is.”
“I think it’s like you said before,” said Amy. “Because there’s a small window of time when the killer could have struck, figuring out where everyone in the family was is going to lead us in the right direction.”
Heather nodded. She felt that something was wrong with the alibi that they had gotten from the two couples. However, they had all backed each other up. Was she being overly suspicious? Or were they hiding something?
She still had several other suspects to question too. With such a large family, interrogations were taking more time and effort than usual.
She was happy when she heard the door to Donut Delights open and saw Ryan and Peters entering.
“Donut break?” Ryan asked, joining their table.
“A needed one,” said Amy. “Have you had any luck today?”
“The neighbors are no help,” Ryan said. “They weren’t paying attention enough to see if anyone joined Craig Caulfield in his yard before he died.”
“What about you?” asked Peters.
Heather related everything that they had learned so far from questioning the two couples.
“But we still need to talk to two of his Craig Caulfield’s children and one grandchild,” said Heather.
“Maybe one of them is the killer,” Amy said.
“Maybe,” agreed Heather. “If Rachel and Riley and Kaitlin and Kevin are backing up each other’s alibis then they couldn’t have killed Craig Caulfield.”
“If you think they’re hiding some, Peters and I can go talk to them next,” Ryan said.
“That would be great,” Heather said. “If you’re looking for Kaitlin and Kevin, they just checked into the Porpoise Inn.”
“They weren’t all booked up?” Peters asked. “They’re normally full this time of year.”
“Kevin said they were able to get a room,” Heather said.
"Well, I'm glad we were able to catch up," Ryan said. "I think we should have a donut and then continue with our questioning."
“Same here,” said Heather.
She pushed a plate of Pumpkin Pie Brûlée Donuts towards the officers, and they happily accepted the snacks.
“So, Peters,” Heather said. “Do you have plans for Thanksgiving?”
“My family lives in town. I think I’ll be going to my mom’s house for dinner,” Peters said. “She always makes great food.”
“That’s great,” Heather said. “If you have an opportunity, you should drop by our house for a bit. We should have a lot of good food and company as well. And you could bring some donuts to your mother’s.”
“If these are some of those donuts, it certainly is tempting,” said Peters. “But I’ll have to see what the day brings.”
Janae sauntered over to their table. “Hi Heather,” she said. “I’m going to make one more batch, and then I’m going to head out. That’s still okay, isn’t it? So I can lead my bike tour before it gets dark.”
“That’s perfectly all right,” Heather said. “Thanks for reminding me.”
“Thank you,” Janae said. “For today, and for the Thanksgiving dinner invitation.”
“What was that?” asked Peters.
“I didn’t have Thanksgiving plans, so Heather invited me over to her house to eat. Wasn’t that nice? I’ve gotten really excited about it,” said Janae.
“So, you’re going to be there too?” Peters asked. “That’s wonderful. I was just telling the Shepherds how much I was looking forward to stopping by their house that day.”
“He was?” Amy asked.
"They kindly invited me over, and I thought how nice it would be to see my partner on Thanksgiving. He is certainly something I give thanks for. He is an admirable partner that I know has my back," Peters said, putting on the bravado he usually showed to Janae. "Together we can ensure that the island is protected and kept safe. We make sure that crime does not pay. And that is something that everyone who lives here can be thankful for.”
“I think our police force is great. And our extra investigators too,” Janae said with a smile at Heather.
“Yes. They also do their part to help this island be a wonderful place to live,” Peters said.
“I guess I’ll see you Thursday
then,” Janae said.
“I will see you then too,” said Peters.
Janae gave the table a wave goodbye and then went off to finish her work so she could leave for the day. Peters had a big smile on his face.
“So, what are you going to do next?” Ryan asked Heather.
“I think we’re going to talk to Bonnie next,” she said. “Kaitlin said there was some friction between Bonnie and her father. We’ll see if it could have led to murder.”
“And we’ll see what her alibi was too," Amy added.
“And we’ll double check on your couples,” said Ryan. “We better get going. Come on, Peters.”
“What?” Peters asked, being startled from a daydream.
“We should go,” Ryan repeated.
"Right," said Peters. "We should go an investigate and solve the crime and be awesome detectives."
He strode out of the shop purposefully. Ryan was about to follow but then paused.
“Did you invite Peters over because you had already invited Janae?” he asked.
“You know that I know how to pick up on clues,” Heather said with a smile.
“It was a good idea, but we’re going to have so many people over for dinner,” he said.
"The more, the merrier," Heather countered.
“As long as we figure out how make the food less burned,” Amy reminded her friend.
This made the smile on Heather’s face falter, but then she said, “I’m sure we can figure that all out. Just as soon as we catch the killer.”
“I’m on it,” Ryan said. He followed his partner out the door.
“We better get on it too,” Heather said.
Amy nodded. “Let’s go talk to another Caulfield.”
Bonnie’s Blues
After they were introduced, Bonnie ushered Heather and Amy into her childhood room. There were still many elements from her youth there, and the wallpaper was of pink flowers. However, there were also some more recent photos of the family and a large suitcase in the room now.
A less pleasant recent addition was the many crumpled up tissues on the floor.
“I just can’t stop crying,” Bonnie Caulfield said. “I can’t believe my dad is gone.”
She sobbed a little more and used several tissues. Amy awkwardly patted her back for support, while Heather tried unsuccessfully to start questioning her.
“I’m sorry,” Bonnie said. She took a deep breath.
“Are you ready to talk now?” Heather asked.
“Yes,” said Bonnie. “I’ll try and be strong.”
“Do you know of anyone who wanted to hurt your father?” Heather asked.
Bonnie shook her head. “But by asking that it must mean that you think this was a murder and not an accident.”
“I’m afraid so,” said Heather.
"I got the sense that Jocelyn thought one of us had done him in by the dirty looks she was giving us when we visited Chris in the hospital," said Bonnie. "Not that I'd expect a big hug from her."
“You and Jocelyn didn’t get along?” Heather prompted.
"Correct," said Bonnie. "She wasn't good enough for my dad. He was a successful businessman with a beach house and five wonderful kids and was loved by everyone. Do you know what she did? She was a secretary."
“Your father’s secretary?” Heather asked.
“No,” said Bonnie.
“Then what’s wrong with that?” asked Amy. “The world need secretaries. Otherwise, there would be no memos or anything like that.”
“She wasn’t good enough for him,” Bonnie said, stubbornly. “And he waited five years after my mom died to start dating. He could have waited a little longer and found someone worthwhile. Someone who wasn’t after his money.”
“You think she was after his money?” Heather asked.
“Of course,” Bonnie said. “She’s ten years younger than him. Explain that.”
“Easy,” said Amy. “She was born ten years after him.”
“She seemed to be very bothered by his death,” said Heather.
“Oh yeah?” asked Bonnie. “How many tissues are on her floor from grief?”
Heather brought out a box of donuts. “Let’s calm down,” she said. “Would you like a donut?”
“How much are they?” Bonnie asked.
“Free,” said Heather.
That convinced Bonnie, and she took one.
“Would their cost concern you?” Heather asked. “Are you having any financial problems?”
“I just don’t want to pay too much for a pastry. Is that okay?” Bonnie asked. “It was very good though. Thanks.”
“And you’re not having any other money problems?” Heather asked.
“I don’t care about money,” said Bonnie. “I care about what happened to my father.”
“We heard that you might have had some problems with him,” Heather said. “Butting heads and that sort of thing. Is it true?”
“My father and I were very much alike,” she said. “Sometimes we would fight because we were so similar and so stubborn. But that wouldn’t make me want to kill him.”
“Where were you right before his death?” asked Heather.
A new wave of tears fell over Bonnie. They waited while she collected herself. Heather wasn’t sure if this was an extreme version of sorrow or if it was an act.
“I’m sorry,” Bonnie said. “What was your question?”
“Where were you before Craig Caulfield’s death?” asked Heather. “Approximately two hours before it.”
“I should have stayed and helped with the cooking, but I didn’t want to run into Jocelyn when she got home,” said Bonnie. “I left to go shopping when Chris left to get her. I was gone all afternoon until someone told me about the accident. Then I hurried to the hospital to see Chris.”
“Where were you shopping?” Heather asked.
“I was just window shopping to get out of the house,” Bonnie said. “I wandered around Duvall Street. I went in a few shops, but mostly I wandered around.”
“Did anyone see you?” asked Heather.
“I bet a ton of people saw me,” said Bonnie. “But I don’t know if they would remember me. I didn’t bump into anyone I knew. And I didn’t buy anything. I just walked around.”
Heather nodded.
“But I didn’t kill him,” Bonnie said. “I wouldn’t have known how to make the bird cause a fire. Are you sure it wasn’t an accident?”
"There is evidence of sabotage," Heather said. "Members of your family did have access to his equipment and could have gone to his house without arousing his suspicion. Do you think anyone could have done it?”
“Only Jocelyn,” Bonnie said.
“We’re under the impression that she doesn’t get as much money as his children,” Heather said.
“She still gets the house,” Bonnie said.
“And so she tried to burn it down?” Amy asked. “If the fire trucks didn’t arrive in time, it could have destroyed the house.”
“It’s obvious she was after his money and didn’t love him,” Bonnie said.
"She was the one who convinced us to look at this as a murder and not like an accident," Heather said. "Do you know why she would have done that?"
“To divert suspicion?” Bonnie suggested.
“So instead of thinking that no one was at fault, she wanted us to think it was anyone except her who killed him?” Amy asked.
“Maybe,” said Bonnie. “If one of his heirs goes to prison for his death, it might mean a larger share for her.”
“And for everyone else too,” Heather said. “If one of your siblings in unable to collect their inheritance, wouldn’t it mean you get more money too?”
“Jocelyn might just be accusing one of us because she doesn’t like us,” said Bonnie. “She just wants one of us to go to prison. Kaitlin or Riley or Sparky. Or probably me. She knows that I’m on to her.”
Bonnie started crying again, and the private investigators said their goodbyes
.
"That was a lot of waterworks," Amy said as soon as they had shut the door.
“I know,” Heather said. “I couldn’t tell if they were genuine or not.”
“They were genuinely wet,” Amy commented.
“She said something that got me thinking when she listed her siblings,” said Heather.
“What’s that?”
“Why is Sparky called Sparky?” asked Heather. “Does he have experience starting fires?”
Sparky
They didn't have to travel far to find Sparky. He was also staying at his father's house, and they found him in his bedroom as well. His room looked more like an adult's room, though there were still elements that revealed he was a big wrestling fan as a child.
* * *
Sparky explained that he only lived an hour away and would often visit, sometimes staying overnight if he and his father felt like having some beers together. He had updated his room through the years to reflect his adulthood.
* * *
“It’s not often I have two lovely ladies visiting me here,” Sparky said. “So, what can I do for you?”
* * *
Amy scoffed. As the youngest of the Caulfield’s, they were technically old enough to be his mother.
* * *
"I'm Heather Shepherd, and this is Amy Givens. We're private investigators working with the Key West Police to investigate your father's murder."
* * *
"Great," Sparky said. "What have you found out so far?"
* * *
“We’re going to be the ones asking the questions,” Amy said.
* * *
“Okay,” Sparky said. “What do you want to know? Besides who killed him? Because I don’t know that.”
* * *
Amy took her tablet out to take notes and let Heather take the lead on questions. It seemed that they were going to have to keep Sparky on task. He was very talkative but wasn't saying much that was useful.
Pumpkin Pie Brulee & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 9 Page 4