by Rose Pressey
“Well, that was lucky for you,” Emily said.
Was it lucky for me? I wasn’t so sure now.
“And you think that Hunter and Joy did this?”
“They acted as if they didn’t know each other.”
I wanted to confront Hunter about this right away.
“I don’t even know where to start to explain any of this,” Mary Jane said with a shake of her head.
“I don’t either. It’s so confusing.” I massaged my temples.
They’d said they didn’t know each other, but the video certainly showed otherwise. Was Hunter wearing a ring? I looked at the screen again. It was on pause, so I studied Hunter’s hand.
“Is he wearing a ring?” I asked.
Emily and Mary Jane looked at the screen closer.
“It does look as if he is.”
I looked at Mary Jane and that was when she realized what I was thinking.
“That’s the ring,” Mary Jane said.
“He’s the killer,” I said breathlessly.
“I think I’m hyperventilating.” Mary Jane fanned her face with her hand.
“Are you sure about this?” Emily asked. “Because if you are, then you need to contact the police right away. Where is this Hunter, anyway?”
“I’m not sure where he is right now. I’m just glad that he’s not at the candy shop.”
That was when the thought occurred to me. What if he went back to the candy shop right now and my grandmother was there? Complete panic set in and I had to get over there right away. Thank goodness Emily had rewound the video a bit too far. No one else had watched it that far back.
“I need to get a copy of this so that I can show the police.” I pointed at the screen.
“I believe they already have a copy,” Emily said.
“Is it from that time in the video?” I asked.
“Yes, I think it is.”
“That’s a relief. Now I’ll be able to show the detective exactly what I’m looking at.”
“Maybe they can blow it up so that we can see the detail even more and then we can confirm for sure,” Mary Jane said.
I pulled out my phone so that I could call the detective. “What is the time on that video so that I can tell him?”
“It looks like it’s right at nine forty-eight,” Emily said.
“Thank you, Emily,” I said as I waited for the detective to pick up.
“Hello, this is Detective Monroe.”
“I’m glad you picked up,” I said. When I spoke though, I received no response. “Hello?” I asked.
Then I realized I’d reached his voicemail. Sadly, I had to leave a message. I really wanted to talk to him right away. This could be the thing that solved the case. Breathlessly I related the details into the voicemail, and then ended the call. I probably sounded as if I was a complete lunatic.
“What do we do now?” Mary Jane asked.
“We need to head over to the shop right away. I don’t want Hunter to show up while I’m not there.”
“Yeah, I’m worried about him showing up too,” Mary Jane said. “What will we do if we have to confront him?”
“If he does something bad then we should mention that the police are on their way.”
“Okay, that sounds like a good plan,” Mary Jane said.
“Are you ladies going to be all right?” Emily asked as she turned off the computer.
I shrugged. “I hope so.”
“You’ll call me and let me know what you find out?” she asked.
“Certainly, I absolutely will,” I said. “And thank you again for all of your help.”
Mary Jane and I hurried out of the coffee shop.
“Why did Mr. Sutherland return that day?” Mary Jane asked. “Who wanted to meet him?”
“I don’t know, but it looks as if it definitely could’ve been Hunter. We just have to figure out why.”
“I think Joy was involved somehow too,” Mary Jane said.
“I think you’re right,” I said. “Because obviously they’re connected. She gave him the money. Plus, Mr. Sutherland wouldn’t sell the place. If she was angry she may have hired Hunter to kill him because she was angry.”
“Just because he wouldn’t sell the building?” Mary Jane asked.
“That does seem harsh, doesn’t it?” I said.
“Definitely,” Mary Jane said.
“This is much more serious than I imagined. I think Hunter is looking for something in the building, and it probably has something to do with the murder.”
“What do you think it could possibly be?” Mary Jane asked.
“I don’t know, but we should have a look around in the shop again and see if we can find it before he does,” I said as we headed down the sidewalk toward the candy shop.
“We just have to do it and not get caught by Hunter.”
“I think I’ll leave him a message and tell him that he doesn’t need to come into work.”
“No, you can’t do that,” Mary Jane said. “Then he’ll definitely be suspicious.”
“You’re right. I don’t know what to do,” I said.
We took a few more steps when my phone alerted me to a text message. I pulled it out from my pocket and read the screen. Another threatening message. I stopped in my tracks, looked around to see if anyone was watching us. Now I feared that we might be shot on the sidewalk just like Mr. Sutherland. I showed the phone to Mary Jane.
I know what you’re doing. I’m watching you.
Mary Jane gasped. I grabbed Mary Jane’s hand. “We have to get into the shop. Someone I could be targeting us right now.”
Mary Jane released a moan as we raced for the candy shop door. My legs shook and my heart raced. I’d never been this scared before. Now we were practically in the spot where Mr. Sutherland had been taken down. Surely the killer wouldn’t be brazen enough to try the exact same crime in the exact same manner. Although if he was crazy, then he was likely to attempt anything.
Mary Jane and I both tried to get through the door at the same time. We bumped shoulders and then squeezed our way through. I slammed the door shut. The bells above the door jingled until I thought they might actually fall off the hook. Thank goodness there were no customers to see the way that we were acting.
I hadn’t had a chance to even catch my breath yet when my phone rang. Fear raced through me as I looked at the screen. Thank goodness the detective was calling me back.
“It’s the detective,” I said as I touched the screen and answered the call.
“You sound out of breath. Did I catch you in the middle of exercising?” he asked.
“No, unless you consider Mary Jane and I running down the sidewalk from the killer as exercise.”
“Excuse me?” he said.
“Okay, so maybe I was exaggerating just a bit, but I have some new information that may lead you to the killer. Plus, I got another text message.”
“What did the text message say?” he asked with concern.
I recounted what it said and then proceeded to explain to him about the video.
“Well, I’m certainly impressed by what you found,” he said. “You’re at your shop now?”
“Yes, I’m here and I’m thinking about locking the doors. Oh, I almost forgot—I met Hunter’s girlfriend too. Her name is Candy Brown.”
“It sounds as if you’ve been busy today,” he said.
“Well, I’m trying to help you out,” I said as I peeked out the door again to make sure that no one was coming around. How long before Hunter showed up?
“I’ll check out her name and also the video. In the meantime, maybe you should close up the shop.”
“Yeah, I think that sounds like a good idea,” I said.
I hoped since the shop was closed that Hunter wouldn’t show up unannounced. Though people had broken into the shop twice already, so I couldn’t be certain someone wouldn’t turn up unannounced.
After ending the call, I headed toward the back of the store. Grandma
Honey was on the phone with a customer. We had to hurry and close up the shop. Once the doors were locked I would feel somewhat relieved, until the morning. I hoped to have some kind of answer before then.
“We should start looking in the back,” I said as I headed into the kitchen.
“Where do I start?” Mary Jane asked.
I pointed to the left. “You take that side and I’ll take the right.”
Mary Jane nodded. “Got it.”
We started looking everywhere. I searched every nook and cranny, even underneath the appliances and behind them too.
“Any luck?” Mary Jane asked.
“Nothing,” I said around a sigh.
We continued our search until when I stepped close to the stove. Under my foot one of the floorboards squeaked. When I glanced down I realized it was raised up slightly.
“I discovered something,” I called out.
Mary Jane rushed over to me. “Oh, what is it?”
After lifting the loose board, I spotted something inside. It looked like an envelope, but I wasn’t sure. I wrapped my hand around it and pulled it out. The envelope was full of what felt like paper. I opened it up.
“Wow,” Mary Jane said.
Cash filled the envelope. Lots of it.
“Look at this,” I said.
“Oh, my gosh. How much do you think is there?” Mary Jane asked.
“Maybe thousands,” I said.
“Where did you find it?”
I got down on the floor and started looking around for more loose boards. Mary Jane knelt beside me. We were on our hands and knees crawling, looking around the floor.
I pointed at another spot. “There’s something else.”
“Oh, my gosh. There’s a lot of money. Why do you think it’s here? Did Mr. Sutherland forget it?” Mary Jane asked. “Is it your money?”
“Yeah, right. Where would I get that kind of money?”
“True,” she said. “This is amazing.”
“That’s probably what Hunter’s been looking for. He wanted the cash.” Had he known it was here? I supposed that was the reason why he’d killed Mr. Sutherland. And why he was here working in my shop. “Hunter will probably come after me next.”
“Don’t say such things,” Mary Jane said.
“It’s true.” I continued counting the cash.
“We have to do something to stop him.”
“Not letting him come back here to the shop and get this money will be a start,” I said. “Come on, we have to look and see if there’s more.”
“It’s like a treasure trove in here,” Mary Jane said.
I stuck my hand down there again in case I’d missed something.
“What in the name of bonbons are you all doing?”
Mary Jane and I screamed. As I spun around money scattered everywhere.
Grandma Honey stood in shock as she watched us.
“It looks as if you robbed a bank,” she said
“We found this underneath there,” I said. “I think this is what Hunter has been looking for.
“Oh, my heavens,” Grandma Honey said.
“We have to make sure the doors are locked,” Mary Jane said.
We all hurried to the front door. I reached the front door first. Thank goodness no one was trying to get inside.
I secured the door. “We can’t let him get in here.”
“This is dangerous,” Mary Jane said.
“Let’s get the money, I said.
After running back to the kitchen, Mary Jane gathered the cash. I dashed over to the back door to make sure it was locked.
Chapter 25
“We can’t leave this cash around in here,” Grandma Honey Jane said.
Mary Jane and I looked at each other and then peered around the room. “There’s no one else here, Grandma Honey, except for us.”
“Even still, we need to get it out of this building. If he comes back, he’ll want it.” Grandma Honey wiggled her fingers indicating I should hand over the money.
“We won’t let him have it,” I held the envelope close to my chest.
“I know we won’t because it won’t be here. We can’t give it to him if it’s not here.” Grandma Honey thrust her hand out.
“We can talk like this in circles for a long time,” I said.
“That’s why you need to give me the money.” Grandma Honey reached for the cash.
“We really do need to get out of here,” Mary Jane said.
“I can’t leave without speaking with the detective,” I said.
“We’ll take it and hide it. Then we’ll come back, okay?” Grandma Honey said. “Mary Jane can come with me.”
“That’s a good idea. I don’t want you going out there by yourself, either one of you.”
“What about you?” Mary Jane asked.
“I’ll be safe in here until the detective arrives.”
I didn’t know for sure that Hunter would even show up, but I didn’t want to take that chance either. I walked with Grandma Honey and Mary Jane to the front of the shop. We said goodbye and then I watched out the window as they walked down the sidewalk toward Mary Jane’s car.
I couldn’t believe that Grandma Honey felt so strongly that we needed to hide the money before Hunter returned. I’d take her word for it though, and trust her judgment. She had a lot more experience than me. She’d never steered me wrong in the past. Well, maybe a few times, like with that hideous prom dress that I wore, and then again when we went to bingo night at the senior center.
So now Mary Jane and Grandma Honey had taken the money away, and I was all alone at the shop. I stared out the window and wondered what I would do until they returned. Maybe I should’ve just gone with them, but the detective said he would be here soon. He would definitely question why we took the money away from the shop, but it was safe now.
Who did the money belong to now that Mr. Sutherland was gone? I wasn’t sure how that worked, but that was the least of my concerns at the moment. I peered out the window, hoping I wouldn’t see Hunter coming down the sidewalk. I supposed I could work on restocking some the candy in the jars. My mind just wasn’t on that at the moment though. I needed to get a grip on my anxiety. I paced back and forth in front of the windows.
I was lost in thought when all of a sudden a noise came from the back of the shop. I thought for sure I had locked the door. What could it be? Was it Hunter? I was frozen on the spot and I didn’t know what to do next. However, when I heard the noise again, it sounded as if someone was coming through the back door. I had to go check it out, as much as I didn’t want to move. I should just run out the front door and get out of there. But what if Grandma Honey and Mary Jane came back and encountered someone in the shop?
I should dial the detective right away and let him know something was going on here. Then again, what if it was nothing? I was torn on what to do. I gathered all the gumption that I could muster and headed toward the back of the shop. Once I reached the kitchen door, I wasn’t sure what I would do. I should peek inside the room and see if someone was actually there. I was so nervous that I could barely breathe. I inhaled and then released a deep breath. My hand was on the door ready to push it open. More noise came from the room, so I knew that I was about to confront someone.
When I peeked through the door, I saw Hunter. Had he come back for the money? I was contemplating what to do. The best option, it seemed, was to get out of there. It was too late though. Hunter turned around and our eyes locked. He had a gun in his hand, now aimed at me. Complete panic took over. I’d never been in a situation like this before and I had no idea what to do.
“Hunter, what are you doing?” I asked, trying to act as casual as possible.
“I think you know why I’m here,” he said.
Oh, I had a suspicion about the reason for his visit, but I wasn’t going to come out and say it. I would make him tell me.
“You’re not supposed to be working right now,” I said. “And why do you have that gun? Would
you kindly not point it at me, please?”
“Oh, quit this stupid act,” he said.
“It’s not an act,” I said. “I mean, I’m not stupid. What are you talking about?”
“Where is it?” he asked.
“Where is what?” I responded.
I was going to play this as long as I could to get him to tell me everything about what he had done. I didn’t want to push him too far though. He would lose his temper and actually use the gun on me. If he killed Mr. Sutherland, then he surely wouldn’t hesitate to kill me too.
“I’m here for the money,” he said. “What did you do with it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“Are you playing games with me?” he asked.
The gun was still aimed at me. His hand didn’t waver or shake. He was confident in his actions.
“Please just put the gun away,” I said.
“I came back to get the money. I know it’s in here somewhere, and you know it’s in here. Now tell me where it is before I lose my patience. I want it now.”
“Why would Mr. Sutherland tell me anything about money?”
“You bought the building from him. You have to know where the money is, and I want it right now.”
“You killed Mr. Sutherland,” I said.
“I sure did, and I intend on getting the money, even if it means killing you.”
I really wanted to panic, but I had to stay calm and get out of there. The sun glinted off the shiny gold ring on his finger. It made me sick to think that I had been around a murderer all this time. Mary Jane had known something was off with this guy. I should’ve listened to her. That was neither here nor there now though. I had to get out of the situation. I had to somehow get the gun away from him or get out of the room without being shot.
“I’m losing my patience with you. I’m telling you I have no idea where any money is.” I wondered if he knew I was lying because absolutely I knew where the money was, but I wasn’t telling him.
“I want the money,” he yelled.
“What money are you talking about specifically?” I asked. “Whose money is this? It’s certainly not yours. You don’t own this building.”
“Mr. Sutherland had money hidden here. He came back to get it that day, but I stopped him before he could retrieve it.”