Peach Cobler Murder

by Susan Gillard

  They laughed and started inside the restaurant.

  Heather was happy to share the Dos Chicos experience with her friends and new associates. She always loved the food there and found the atmosphere cheerful. Rudolph Rodney also seemed to love the restaurant.

  “This is so charming,” he said.

  “Careful,” Amy joked. “He might try and convince Dos Chicos to move to Key West too.”

  “No,” Rudolph chuckled. “I’m only focused on donuts right now.”

  Jamie knocked over his drink then. He hurried to mop it up with some napkins.

  “You okay?” Amy asked, not sure why he suddenly seemed nervous.

  “I’m fine,” he said.

  “I might have to add this to my list of places to visit for dinner,” Rudolph said. “Since I’m staying in a hotel, I haven’t been cooking for myself much. I’ve been having a lot of meals at restaurants.”

  “For some reason, my uncle doesn’t seem keen on eating my cooking,” Roadkill Rodney said, shrugging.

  Rudolph chose not to respond to that but instead told them about where he had been having many of his meals. “There’s this little place called Hannah’s Home Cooking. I’m starting to become a regular there.”

  “I think I know it,” Heather said, nodding. “It’s on the other side of town, so I don’t go there often.”

  “I discovered it by accident,” Rudolph said. “When I got lost one day. But I do quite like it.”

  “I hear they have good pies,” said Heather.

  “Speaking of pies. Or things similar to pies,” Amy said. “Did you all try Heather’s new Peach Cobbler Donut? It’s amazing.”

  “I’ll pick some up tomorrow before we get lunch,” Roadkill Rodney said to his uncle, who nodded happily.

  “A Peach Cobbler Donut does sound delicious,” Mona said. “I can’t wait to see what flavor you whip up the week of my wedding.”

  “You’ll just have to wait and see,” Heather said. The gears had been turning for quite a while on that project. She had some ideas but wanted it to be absolutely perfect and hadn’t finalized her recipe yet.

  “It’s so nice to see people in love getting married,” Roadkill Rodney said.

  “I’d like to see the same for you,” Rudolph said to nephew. “Especially if you’ve decided to stay here instead of coming back to Florida with me. I’d like to know someone is watching over you.”

  “I think this is where I’m supposed to be for now,” Roadkill Rodney said. “I moved here for love, and it was cruelly taken away from me. I have to think there’s another reason for my being here than having my heart broken into a million little pieces. And I just started my road kill removal services here. Seems to be doing well.”

  “Still,” Rudolph said. “I’d feel better if I knew you weren’t alone. Wouldn’t you like to meet another nice lady? Perhaps online dating—“

  “I met the love of my life online, and soon after I met her, she was murdered. I’m not doing that again. If I meet someone, then I’ll meet them,” Roadkill Rodney said. “Until then, I’ll be happy with my shovel.”

  Rudolph didn’t look very happy with this declaration and the thought of leaving his family member with only a shovel for company. However, there wasn’t anything else he could say at that time.

  To fill the lull, Jamie asked Rudolph if they might be able to meet one afternoon to discuss something. Rudolph happily agreed.

  Then, the conversation shifted to brief talks about business. Jamie looked a little uncomfortable, so Amy made sure to share her nachos and salsa with him. Heather talked about how she was deciding what she should do at her Hillside Donut Delights to keep it running smoothly after she left. Ryan told them that he had already spoken to his chief about the move, and how he put in a transfer request for Key West. Mona and Col voiced how they were excited to visit them at some point and enjoy the tropical weather. Heather hoped that most of her friends were have similar thoughts.

  It was indeed a night of celebration. They had good food and good conversation. Toward the end of the night, Heather happily realized that she must have been wrong about something bad happening. Her friends all raised a glass in a toast to the success of Donut Delights – Key West. At that moment, Heather felt that nothing could go wrong with her plans.

  Chapter 4

  Heather tried to keep herself from pacing behind the counter. She had been serving up donuts all the morning to happy customers along with some of her assistants. However, now she was waiting for the rest of her staff to come in for the afternoon. She was going to start the conversation about what they would need to do before she left.

  * * *

  She wanted to make sure that they all knew exactly how everything functioned in the shop, so they would be able to handle anything that came their way without her there. She could proudly say that her staff had survived many small crises, and she was sure that they could hold their own. However, she had to make absolutely certain that she wasn’t abandoning them without adequate preparation.

  * * *

  She was also considering whether she should start a hiring hunt for a new manager. Should she hire a new person to take over her responsibilities while she was away? She would be sure to check in with the store long-distance, but she probably should select someone in the area to be in charge of the day-to-day activities.

  * * *

  She was so lost in her thoughts of preparation that she nearly missed Roadkill Rodney entering the store. However, the huge goofy smile on his face eventually caught her attention.

  * * *

  “Good afternoon,” Roadkill Rodney said. “I was just picking up some of those donuts you were talking about last night to bring when I visit my uncle.”

  * * *

  “Why do you look so happy?” Heather asked. “Is it because of the donuts? Or for another reason?”

  “I am happy to try these tasty little buggers, of course,” he said. “But I’m actually smiling because I just met somebody.”

  * * *

  “You met someone?”

  * * *

  “It happens when you least expect it,” he said. “I was resigned to not finding love after what happened to my poor Norma. I expected to grieve and mourn for years to come. But then today I met a lady that made my heart feel light again. Maybe nothing will come of it, but the thought that there is still a possibility for love made me feel hopeful for the future.”

  * * *

  “And maybe something will come of it too,” Heather said with a smile.

  * * *

  “I do hope so,” Roadkill Rodney said. “We decided to meet again for dinner tonight. We both felt like we were a match meant to be together.”

  * * *

  “How did you meet?” Heather asked.

  * * *

  “I was doing a favor for my uncle and picking up some cleaning supplies at the hardware store. He needed this special stuff. I had to go to this one store. Then when I decided to check out the shovels there as well, I stumbled into her. This girl knew her shovels. And we felt an instant connection.”

  * * *

  “I’m so happy for you,” Heather said.

  * * *

  “I feel happy too,” Roadkill Rodney said. “I think my Norma is looking out for me in the afterlife. Suddenly I have a family again by making peace with Uncle Rudolph, and I have high hopes for my date this afternoon.”

  * * *

  “Well, if things go well, be sure to bring her by for some donuts,” Heather said.

  * * *

  “Will do,” said Roadkill Rodney.

  * * *

  Amy had entered as they were saying goodbye and approached her bestie.

  * * *

  “Are the Rodneys becoming your new best friends? Am I being replaced?” she asked.

  * * *

  “I could never replace you,” Heather said. “No matter the distance, you’re my best friend.”

  * * *

  “Prove it
,” Amy said. “Let’s watch Beaches together tonight.”

  * * *

  “If that’s what it will take to prove my friendship for you, then I’ll be happy to stockpile on tissues and watch your favorite movie with you,” Heather said.

  * * *

  “This is great,” Amy said. “I’m going to start a list of all the things I’ve wanted to force you to do with me. It’ll be fun though. Promise.”

  * * *

  Heather was about to retort when her cell phone rang.

  * * *

  “Shepherd,” she said answering it. After she had finished her call, she turned to Amy and said, “That list is going to have to wait. We’re being called to a crime scene.”

  Chapter 5

  Heather and Amy arrived at a house on the outskirts of town. There were no other houses near this little one, and it’s being marked with crime scene tape made it seem even more distanced from the town.

  “Ryan said it was a young woman that was killed,” Heather said.

  “It doesn’t look there was anyone nearby who could have helped her,” Amy commented. “I’m glad I have neighbors. Even if they’re my annoying oddball neighbors. Well, I wonder how long they’ll be my neighbors.”

  Ryan coming out to greet them saved Amy from her housing thoughts. After he said hello, he went straight into business mode. He consulted his notebook as he told them some facts about the victim.

  “The victim is named Mindy Montrose. She worked as a waitress in town and lived out here alone,” said Ryan.

  “How was she killed?” asked Heather.

  “It looks straightforward,” Ryan said. “The medical examiner will confirm that it is soon. It appears that she was hit over the head with a heavy clock.”

  “A clock?” Amy said. “There are so many puns I want to make about her time running out, and yet I’d feel so bad if I actually said it.”

  “How about we look inside the house at the crime scene instead?” Heather suggested.

  Ryan led them inside. The body had been removed, but there was still some blood on the floor of the kitchen/dining room area.

  “This is where she was killed?” Heather asked for confirmation.

  “Yes,” Ryan said. “We’ve already taken the clock into evidence. It was found near the body with blood on it. The medical examiner said on first look it is consistent with the size and shape of the wound. We believe it is the murder weapon.”

  “How big is this clock?” Amy asked.

  “It’s about a foot tall,” Ryan said. “But was made out of a heavy metal. It could inflict a fatal blow.”

  Heather looked around the room. One wall in the kitchen had a spot of wallpaper about a foot tall that was not faded from the sun, unlike the rest of the wall. She pointed to it.

  “The clock could have been hanging there,” she said.

  “We believe so,” Ryan said. “It’s the right size and shape.”

  “So, the killer didn’t bring the murder weapon in with him,” Heather said. “He grabbed a weapon of opportunity.”

  “So, it wasn’t premeditated?” Amy asked.

  “Probably not,” Heather said. “Was she hit from behind or from the front?”

  “From behind,” Ryan said. “But there are no signs of a break in. She let the killer inside.”

  “Has forensics been through here already?” asked Heather.

  “They’ve dusted for and found fingerprints, and they’ve already found a hair on the blood that doesn’t match the victim,” Ryan said.

  “So, it’s from the killer,” Heather said. “If it were in her house before the murder, it would be underneath the blood and not on top of it.”

  Ryan nodded.

  “And you found fingerprints?” Heather asked.

  “Not too many around the house,” Ryan said. “But we did find some on the table. On these glasses.”

  Ryan pointed to two glasses on the table. They were a matching set with a floral design etched in the glass.

  “The victim’s prints are on one glass?” Heather asked. “And someone else’s on the other?”

  “We’re going to run the prints through the database and see what we can turn up.”

  “It looks like she was on a date,” Amy commented. “With the table set for two and the glasses. Maybe the date went badly. Very, very badly.”

  Heather looked at the glasses. They were both empty and dry.

  “What was the time of death?” she asked.

  “It was sometime last night. Right now, the estimate is between seven and ten p.m.”

  “That does seem like the right time for a date,” Amy said.

  Heather nodded. “And if it was, it turned deadly.”

  “What were they having for dinner?” Amy asked, looking at the small amount of food bits left on the two plates. “Chinese food?”

  “Looks like it,” Heather said.

  She walked over to the trash and looked inside. There wasn’t much there. It contained some egg shells, napkins, and a Chinese food container.

  “There’s only one food container,” she commented.

  “They shared dinner?” Amy asked.

  “I guess so,” Heather said, but thinking to herself that one container would never be enough to satisfy both her and Ryan’s appetite.

  Ryan’s partner Detective Hoskins joined them. As was his custom, he was gnawing on a candy bar. The fact that it was a kitchen made sense for food, but the fact that it was a crime scene did not. Heather had found Hoskins to be inept and lazy, as well as having bad timing for snacking. Recently he had been getting undeserved credit from the mayor’s office for solving cases that Heather had actually solved. He hadn’t purposely taken credit for the work but was doing little to spread the truth about the investigative work. It was also possible that Hoskins didn’t realize how little he contributed to cases. He was strutting around like he was the best detective in the world.

  “They called you in, I see,” Hoskins said. “I don’t see why though. I’m about to wrap this one up.”

  “Oh really?” Heather asked.

  “Yeah. The killer left clues all over the place. I noticed them right away with my sharp detective eye. Not sure if anyone else would,” he said, as he finished his candy bar.

  “What clues did you find?” Heather asked. It was always good to have another set of eyes on a scene, and she decided not to let her ego get in the way of discovering if she missed something. Then again, if Hoskins was doing the type of detective work that she had come to expect from him, then it might be amusing to hear about his clues.

  He took them through his discovery process about the fingerprints and the hair that the forensic team had found. Then he very confidently told them his scenario for the murder, “The victim Mindy Montrose had a date over for a Chinese food dinner. They had a fight. He pulled the clock down from the wall and killed her. Then he panicked, leaving his fingerprints and a hair behind.”

  Heather looked at Amy and Ryan. For possibly the first time, she could agree with Hoskins’s scenario. It seemed like the most likely series of events.

  “And now all I have to do is see who matches those prints and DNA, and then have Ryan arrest them,” Hoskins said proudly. “And so, you see, we don’t need you at all.”

  Heather folded her arms. “No, I guess you don’t,” she said. “You seem to have this covered.”

  “With chocolate,” Amy muttered, looking at his sticky fingers.

  Chapter 6

  Heather was feeling conflicted. On the one hand, she was happy that the murderer could be caught soon based on all the evidence that was left at the scene. On the other hand, she was disappointed that one of her last cases in Hillside might be solved without her adding something worthwhile to the findings. She wanted to feel confident that Detective Hoskins would be able to handle cases on his own (or with an unknown new partner who would hopefully be capable.) However, she still wanted to feel like she could contribute while she was there.

&
nbsp; She sat on Amy’s couch in her new home and thought about the case. Amy joined her with her own thoughts.

  “Are you thinking about the case?” Heather asked.

  “Apparently, there’s no need,” Amy said. “The killer didn’t do a good job cleaning up after himself. He’s going to be caught soon.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Heather said. “It seems like a straightforward crime. Whoever the victim had dinner with murdered her, and whoever the prints and DNA match is the killer date.”

  “You sound disappointed,” Amy said.

  “I never like it when somebody is killed,” Heather said.

  “Sure,” said Amy. “But what else?”

  “I feel like we’ve never had such an easy case before.” Heather admitted, “And I’m a little sad that it’s come up now. I wouldn’t mind solving another case with you and Ryan before I go.”

  “I’m sure that even if we’re not finding a clever answer for this case, we can still come up with some clever ideas about your business and your move.”

  “Thanks,” Heather said. “And what was on your mind just now if it wasn’t the case?”

  Amy sighed. “I was just thinking about this house. The heirs of my deceased landlord are still deciding what they want to do with it. Whether they’ll keep renting it and we can stay here. Or whether they want to sell it and be done with it. Or whether they, I don’t know, want to burn it to the ground and dance around the flames.”