“Well, I think the third choice is unlikely.”
Amy shrugged. “How would I know? I never met these people.”
“Well, the house’s future might still be undetermined,” Heather said. “But how do you like living with Jamie?”
“It’s been great,” Amy said, trying to keep her grin from taking control of her face. “We’ve been enjoying being able to see each other more. And we’re learning about each other’s quirks that you only really learn about someone from living with them. So far everything has been cute and endearing.”
“Is he home?” Heather asked.
“He’s getting changed,” Amy said. “One of those quirks I’ve discovered. When he gets dressed up for something, he changes his clothes more than I do. I saw him take on and off the same jacket on three times before I gave up on watching it.”
“What’s he getting dressed up for?” asked Heather.
“I’m not sure,” Amy said. “He was kinda vague. Like the new heirs to this house! I wish I knew what they were thinking so I knew how to plan.”
“I wish I could be more help with this.” Then Heather joked, “Maybe we can bring them into the interrogation room and sweat an answer out of them.”
Then, Jamie joined them, adjusting the tie on his suit. “How do I look?”
“You always look cute,” Amy said.
“Am I too overdressed?”
“If you told me what this was for, I might have a better answer for you,” Amy said. “Without telling me, I’m helping you dress in the dark.”
Jamie continued to play with his tie. “It’s not that I’m trying to keep a secret from you,” he said. “It’s that this is probably nothing. And I don’t want you to think that this might actually be something when it probably is nothing.”
“Did you get that?” Amy asked Heather.
She laughed. “Nope.”
“But I trust you,” Amy said. “And you do look nice in that suit.”
“Thanks,” Jamie said. “I think I’m all ready. What are you two up to today? Are you working on that case?”
Heather shrugged. “It might be solved already. We’re just waiting to hear from Ryan about the results of a forensic report. If fingerprints or DNA match, then the lab has solved the case for us.”
“I guess that’s good if it’s a quick solve,” he said. “Gives you more time to focus on your preparations for moving to Key West. I’m sure there’s a lot to do.”
“There is,” Heather said. Then her cell phone rang. She smiled as she saw it was Ryan calling. “This might be the answer to our case,” she said.
Amy and Jamie waited to hear what Heather would say. As they saw Heather’s face pale, they became anxious.
“Did you find out who the killer is?” Jamie asked.
“Did Ryan get the results from the crime scene?” Amy asked.
“He did,” said Heather. “They were a match to Rudolph Rodney.”
Chapter 7
“I think I should address the elephant in the room,” Rudolph Rodney said.
“You better not be talking about me,” Amy joked. “I do eat a lot of sugar, but I’m not elephant sized.”
Rudolph laughed. “Thank you for easing the tension,” he said. “I was referring to how uncomfortable it is to question your new investor about a crime.”
Heather nodded. Based on all the evidence, they had no choice but to bring him into police headquarters and interrogate him. She and Amy stayed on one side of the table with the detectives, Ryan and Hoskins, and looked at the calm Rudolph Rodney.
“It’s not uncomfortable for me,” Hoskins said.
Amy rolled her eyes.
“Well, I know it’s uncomfortable for some people,” Rudolph amended. “I’ll be happy to help as best I can. I’d like to get this matter all straightened out. You can’t possibly think that I could kill somebody.”
“The evidence is pretty overwhelming,” Ryan said.
“I don’t see how that can be,” Rudolph said. “I’m not a killer.”
“How well did you know Mindy Montrose?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t think I know her at all,” Rudolph said.
“She was a waitress at Hannah’s Home Cooking,” Heather said. “You told us before that you went there a lot.”
“Then I must have met her,” Rudolph said. “Yes. There was a young woman named Mindy there. I didn’t know her last name. That’s who was killed?”
“Yes,” Ryan said. “How often did you visit that restaurant?”
“Several times a week since I arrived here,” Rudolph said. “I’ve been having breakfast there as well. I did today.”
“And did Mindy Montrose often serve you?”
“Depending on her shifts. She wasn’t there in the morning, but when she was working, she liked to have my table. I’m a wonderful tipper,” Rudolph said.
“How often did you see Mindy Montrose outside of her work?” Ryan asked.
“Never,” said Rudolph Rodney. “I only saw her at the restaurant. She was a friendly girl.”
“We have evidence that you were inside her house,” Ryan said.
“That’s impossible,” Rudolph said. “I was never there. I don’t even know where she lives.”
“How would you explain one of your hairs found at the crime scene?” Heather asked.
“I can’t,” Rudolph said. “Wait. She did serve me for lunch the day you said she was murdered. Maybe one of my hairs got stuck to her clothes, and she accidentally brought it home with her.”
“Look who’s playing detective,” Hoskins said.
“Is that the same thing that happened with your fingerprints in her house?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t understand what is going on,” Rudolph said. “I was never in her house, and I never killed anyone. I don’t know what is going on.”
“I think what is going on is that you tipped this waitress so well that she invited you to her place,” Hoskins said. “But when things didn’t go the way you wanted, you grabbed something heavy from the wall and murdered her. Then you got scared and ran.”
Heather had to admit that it sounded like a plausible scenario. She hated to believe that the man she was about to do business with could be a killer, but she had to follow the evidence wherever it led her. Right now, it was leading her to Rudolph Rodney’s guilt. She had trusted him enough to uproot her family’s life and start a business with him, and now it looked like she had put her faith in a cold-blooded killer.
“That’s not what happened,” Rudolph said. “What time did this all happen? I was out to dinner with three of you that night.”
“The time of death was between seven and ten p.m.,” Ryan said. “We finished our dinner around eight thirty.”
“Why would I go out with a detective and some private investigators if I was planning to kill someone?” Rudolph asked.
“We don’t think this was premeditated,” Ryan said. “We believe it was a crime of passion.”
“And maybe you thought that dinner with us would be the perfect alibi for whatever else you wanted to do that night,” Heather said. “Maybe you wanted to use us as a cover.”
Rudolph Rodney’s cheeks reddened, and then he asked, “Is that really what you think of me?”
“I’m not sure what to think,” Heather said. “You can be very charming and convincing. You convinced us to move across the country with you. I could see how you could convince Mindy Montrose to invite you over to her place.”
“She was rather young for me romantically,” Rudolph said. “Don’t you think? She couldn’t have been more than twenty-three.”
“She was twenty-one,” Ryan said. “She was only twenty-one, and her life was cut much too short.”
“I agree,” Rudolph said. “But it wasn’t I who did it.”
“Where were you after you left Dos Chicos?” Heather asked.
“I went to my hotel room,” he said, looking away. “I was there all night.”
“We�
��ll check on that,” Ryan said.
“Check for other suspects,” Rudolph said. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“Mr. Rodney,” Ryan said. “We want to believe you. We like you, we trusted you, and we’re in the process of moving based on your business plan. However, we can’t ignore the evidence at this crime scene. It’s telling us that you did kill Mindy Montrose.”
Heather looked to Ryan. He had perfectly explained what she had been thinking and feeling. It looked as if her move to Key West was being canceled right after she had announced it to everyone. She hated that the reason was that her investor was a murderer.
She wanted to give him another opportunity to explain himself. “Why would you fingerprints and hair be in her house if you’ve never been there?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’d say I’m being framed, but I don’t know that many people in town. And I don’t have any enemies that would follow me here.”
“And you’re telling us that you were in your hotel room alone all that night?” Ryan asked.
“Yes.”
“Would you like to confess now?” Hoskins asked.
“No,” Rudolph said. He looked straight at Heather. “You don’t really think that I did this, do you? You must know me better than that.”
“I’m afraid I really don’t know you that well,” Heather said, sadly.
Chapter 8
The next day, Heather was feeling glum until Amy wafted a Peach Cobbler Donut under her nose. They were at Donut Delights, but not feeling very delighted at the way things were turning out with their case. Heather allowed herself to be led to a table and sat down with her bestie. They munched on their donuts and tried to cheer themselves up.
“It could be worse,” Amy said.
“I guess so,” Heather agreed. “But we had already started our preparations for the move. Ryan asked for a transfer. I told my staff about the change. Actually, I told everyone about it now. All my friends.”
“The Hillside Reporter reported on it,” Amy added.
“What?”
“Yeah. They had a blurb about how the baking detective would be leaving Hillside yesterday,” Amy shrugged.
“They called me the baking detective?”
“It’s not the worst thing they’ve printed about us,” Amy said.
Heather grumbled. What Amy said was true. Neither of the women was fans of the local paper, which was known to print mistakes, had featured a slanderous story about Heather before, and had several times referred to Amy as her “gal pal.”
“I can’t believe they’d print it without contacting me,” Heather said.
“I can,” said Amy.
“I guess they’ll have to print a retraction,” Heather said. “We’re not moving to Key West if our new investor is headed off to jail.”
“If it helps,” Amy said. “I’m glad I won’t have to miss you anymore.”
“That does help in one regard. I’m glad I won’t have to miss you too,” said Heather. “But on the other hand, I’m bothered that I came so close to working with a man who was capable of murder. Was I blinded by this opportunity? Why was I leaping without looking?”
“You were looking,” Amy assured her. “Ryan even did a background check on the guy, and there was nothing to indicate what a scumbag he was.”
“That’s true,” Heather said. “But I hate thinking that I was about to move my daughter across the country on the promises of a bad guy.”
“He fooled us all,” Amy said. “I thought he seemed nice too. I would never have expected him to bludgeon a young woman he just met to death.”
Heather nodded. “I didn’t think he was that sort of man. And on a more morose note, I wouldn’t have expected him to be so sloppy either. He had thought about every detail to make his offer of opening a second shop appealing. He wasn’t detail orientated about his crime.”
Amy shrugged. “People panic when they see a dead body. Well,” she added. “Not you.”
“Heather?” A male voice said.
She looked up and saw Roadkill Rodney standing with a woman with wiry hair, ruddy cheeks, and strong arms.
“I have two things I’d like to discuss with you,” Roadkill Rodney said. “One more pleasant than the other.”
“Pull up a seat,” Heather said, and the duo joined them.
“Firstly, I’d like to introduce you to Cicada Katie,” he said, indicating to his date.
“Cicada Katie?” Amy asked.
“It’s a nickname that stuck,” Cicada Katie said.
“How did you get a nickname like that?” Amy asked.
“I’m an exterminator, so I am always dealing with pests,” she said. “They were bound to come up with a buggy name for me. But I think the real reason I got the nickname is because I can do this.”
She proceeded to make her loud impression of the rattling insect. The others customers in Donut Delights gave their time a sideways glance. A few customers left, but Roadkill Rodney let out a sigh.
“Ain’t she wonderful?” he asked.
“I hope the health inspector doesn’t stop by during that,” Amy muttered.
“That’s my pleasant news,” Roadkill Rodney said. “You told me to bring my date by for donuts if things went well and they seem to be going well.”
“I can’t believe we just met,” Cicada Katie said. “It feels like we’ve known each other much longer.”
“It was fate,” Roadkill Rodney said. “That’s the best part about this. That it wasn’t planned. That it was just meant to be.”
“I’m just glad we met,” she responded.
“It feels like we’re connected,” he said. “Like an animal carcass stuck to the roadway.”
Heather and Amy were not impressed by this analogy, but it made Cicada Katie smile. Those two did seem to be a perfect match.
“I think I know what your unpleasant discussion is,” said Heather.
“Is it about that animal carcass?” Amy asked.
“It’s about your uncle,” Heather said.
“Yes, it is,” said Roadkill Rodney. “I can’t believe that he would kill anybody, and I know you can’t believe it either.”
“We know so little about him,” Heather said. “How can we trust him with all this evidence stacking against him?”
“I don’t know anything about evidence,” Roadkill Rodney said. “But I know something about family. I was mad at my uncle for a long time before he tracked me down. He didn’t give up on me. He wanted to make sure we were a family again. And now we are. I’m not giving up on him now. He said he didn’t kill anybody and I believe him. I’d like for you two to find the real killer.”
“Roadkill,” Heather started. Then feeling like just using that first name sounded funny, she continued, “Rodney. His fingerprints and DNA were found at the crime scene.”
“But you solve crazy cases all the time,” Roadkill Rodney said. “It wasn’t him. You’ve got to find out who the person who really did it is. Otherwise, my uncle will be in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. And the real bad guy will be getting away with murder.”
“He didn’t have a good alibi either,” Heather said. “He said he was alone in his hotel room.”
Heather noticed that Cicada Katie was biting her lip.
“Lots of people are alone in their hotel rooms,” he said. “That doesn’t mean he’s lying.”
“Think about it,” Heather said. “This morning you said you met Cicada Katie at the hardware store was because your uncle needed special cleaning supplies. Did he need them to clean up a crime scene? He just wasn’t able to get there in time before the body was found.”
Cicada Katie looked like she had something that wanted to say, but kept quiet.
“All I know,” Roadkill Rodney said. “Is that he is not the killer.”
“I know we want that to be the case, but that doesn’t mean it is,” Heather said.
“Heather, your gut is normally spot on. And you’re a great
judge of character. You thought Rudolph Rodney was trustworthy enough for you to do business with. And a real big business move too. Trust yourself.” He said. “Do you honestly think that he is the man who committed this crime?”
Chapter 9
“I just think we should cover all our bases,” Heather said on the phone to Ryan. “Make one hundred percent sure that he is guilty.”
“We have enough evidence for a conviction,” Ryan said. “I’m sure of it.”
“Are you sure that we were wrong the man we were willing to work with and move to Key West for?” Heather asked. “Were we that blind to his character?”
Ryan thought about it. “If you have another lead, you can follow it,” he said. “But we do need to rely on what the evidence tells us. Not our wishful thinking.”
“Amy and I are going to check something out now,” Heather said. “We’re going to check on his alibi.”
“Let me know what you find out,” Ryan said, giving his blessing to the investigation.
Heather hung up and smiled at Amy. They were driving over to Rudolph Rodney’s hotel, to see if they could confirm his story about being in his room all night.
Heather was a fan of a quaint little bed and breakfast in Hillside that she catered Business Breakfasts for, but she could see why Rudolph Rodney would have selected this establishment. Based on the set up of the doors, she could tell that all the hotel suites here were large.
They entered the lobby and went up to the concierge desk. It was facing the windows and the parking lot. Behind the desk was a young man who smiled as they came in.
“Double beds or King size?” The young man asked. “Or would you like two separate rooms?”
“We’re just here for information,” Heather said.
“Very good,” he said. “I have some brochures here about all our features and amenities. I can also recommend some restaurants and activities in the area.”
“Do you recommend Donut Delights as part of your places to eat at?” Amy asked.
“That is a popular place for donuts in Hillside,” he said. “Something that is unique about them is that they have a new featured flavor every week. If you’re staying in town long enough, you could go back and try the new flavors.”
Peach Cobler Murder Page 3