Rum Cake Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 8 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries)

by Carol Durand

  “What do you mean?” Missy was mystified.

  “Whether they came in for an injury, or an illness, they all followed the same pattern prior to their death. They’d slip into a coma that would last for a couple of weeks, then die of an embolism.”

  “Wow, that’s a strange coincidence,” Missy frowned.

  “It seems that a medical board in Illinois thought so too. They did a formal investigation of Aston, but never found enough evidence to charge him with anything, so they advised him that he could either resign his position or be fired, and that’s how he ended up in Louisiana. Once he got here, the pattern decreased, but one of the deaths makes me really suspicious,” Chas said, lips pursed in thought.

  “Suspicious…why?”

  “Because it was Cheryl’s mother.”

  Missy’s mouth dropped open. “What? Are you serious?”

  “Deadly serious, but that’s not even the most interesting part. Aston was one of the loudest voices calling for Stanley Conner, Cheryl’s stepfather, to be prosecuted for the crime.”

  “Hmm…deflecting attention from himself maybe?” she asked.

  “That’s what I’m thinking. There was also a time a few years ago where his own wife mysteriously slipped into a coma, but came out of it a couple of weeks later,” he added.

  “And when you consider that we saw her with another man at lunch today, it makes it entirely possible that she may have been about to become his next victim,” Missy’s eyes widened.

  Chas nodded. “This is all speculation at this point, but I’m definitely going to be doing more digging to see what I can find out about Dr. Aston. It’s a general rule of thumb that you don’t investigate doctors when there’s a murder, because they’ve essentially spent their entire lives trying to maintain and extend life rather than ending it, but at the end of the day, they’re just people too – people who could succumb to evil impulses.”

  Missy shuddered. “Chas, Ben is in a coma, and is in the care of Dr. Aston…what if he’s next?”

  “Let’s not jump to any conclusions. While the evidence that I’ve found seems to point to Dr. Aston, we have to remember that every time someone was suspicious about him, there was never enough evidence to even charge him. It could be merely a series of bizarre coincidences,” he shrugged.

  “But I really don’t want to gamble on that with Ben’s life,” she exclaimed. “Can’t we petition the hospital to get Ben a different doctor because his current one is in the process of suing him?” she pleaded.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Beckett nodded. “And in the meantime, I hate to say it, but if Aston didn’t kill Stanley Conner, it looks like Cheryl did.”

  “But if Cheryl killed her stepfather, then who tried to kill Ben by cutting his brake line?”

  “Good question, and one that I intend to find the answer to. As for you, young lady, no more following around doctor’s wives looking for dirt, understand? If Aston is capable of doing what we think he may have done, you could be unnecessarily putting yourself in danger,” he warned.

  “Okay,” Missy nodded, it’s just so confusing and scary, I hate feeling helpless.

  “I know,” Chas said softly. “Hopefully, it’ll all be over soon.

  Chapter 15

  Feeling more than a bit strange walking into the hospital after her strange conversation with Chas, Missy visited Ben’s room again the next morning, disturbed, but no longer surprised to see Cheryl in her usual spot in the corner. The shadows kept her mostly hidden from view, but when Missy politely said hello, she could’ve sworn that the pale, unkempt girl was clutching something in her hands, as if to hide it. Not bothering to even attempt conversation, Missy went directly to the bed and placed a hand lovingly on Ben’s cheek, trying to hold back her tears.

  “Oh Ben, honey, please wake up,” she pleaded quietly, hoping that somehow he could hear her. She searched his face for any sign of movement, any twitch that might give her hope, and found no peace in the smooth, still skin. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Missy heard a soft sound behind her and turned to see Cheryl’s shoulders shaking with the force of her tears as she bowed her head and cried. As though feeling Missy’s gaze, she slowly raised her head.

  “I talk to him every day…just hoping that he’ll blink or something, but every day, there’s no change,” she mourned. “I wonder if I’ll ever hear his sweet voice say my name again, or if I’ll ever feel his kiss. It hurts so bad.” The bereft young woman clutched at her sides, her head dropping again. At a loss, Missy squeezed her shoulder on the way out, not knowing what to think.

  She went to Crème de la Cupcake after the disconcerting visit, glad to see that Grayson and Chris were still doing well.

  “Hey Ms. G.,” Grayson greeted her. “How’s Ben doing?”

  “The same, unfortunately,” Missy made a face.

  “I ran into Cheryl at the grocery store a couple of nights ago. That girl is messed up,” he shook his head sadly.

  “Messed up? What do you mean?”

  “Well, you know what she’s been like. She doesn’t eat, she doesn’t sleep, she spends all of her time at the hospital, and when I tried to talk to her, she kept muttering about how it’s her duty to watch Ben and protect him from the bad man. It really creeped me out, but I feel bad for her, you know?”

  “Of course you do, Grayson, it’s just a sad thing all the way around. Did she say who the bad man was?” Missy asked, her heart beating fast.

  “No, she was really out of it, so I didn’t ask her any questions. Do you think Ben’s going to be okay?” he asked, brushing his thick, black hair out of his soulful eyes.

  “I hope so Grayson, I really hope so.”

  Chapter 16

  Missy had just selected a movie to watch, when her phone rang, Chas’s number popping up on her screen.

  “Hey, handsome,” she answered with a smile.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he responded automatically. “I’ll be over in a few minutes, with big news,” he promised, refusing to elaborate when Missy badgered him with questions.

  “What is it?” she pounced on him the moment he entered the door.

  “Yes, I’d love a glass of wine, thanks,” he raised his eyebrows at her, heading to the powder room to wash his hands and shooing her toward the kitchen. By the time he came out, Missy had two glasses of wine poured and waiting on the coffee table, and the rest of the bottle within easy reach if they should need it. Toffee curled up under the table, happy that both of her favorite people were present.

  “Okay, now,” Missy’s curiosity bubbled over. “What is the big news?”

  The detective savored a sip of wine. “I had a call from the Smithville PD…” he began.

  “Smithville?” Missy interrupted. “That’s where Ben said that he ended up on the night of the murder.”

  “I’m aware,” Chas nodded, amused. “So, apparently, the sergeant on duty received a call this afternoon about an abandoned car. One of the locals had gone duck hunting on his land, and stumbled upon a car that got stuck in the swamp. They ran the plates and found out that the car belonged to Stanley Conner. The boys over in Smithville knew that we’d been investigating the murder of Stanley Conner, so they secured a perimeter and called us. My guys went out there and found footprints, hairs in the trunk that look to be a match for Ben’s hair, and hairs on the driver’s seat that don’t look to be a match with Stanley Conner.”

  “What does that mean,” Missy asked, eyes wide.

  “Well, we figure that whoever killed Stanley, did it in his car, outside of the hotel. Looking for a way to hide the body, they conveniently stumbled upon a man in a clown costume and knocked him out, stealing the costume. Ben was dragged out and stuffed into the trunk, and Stanley was dressed in the costume and staged in the break room, giving the killer time to drive away in Stanley’s car. The killer dumped Ben in the park, while he was still unconscious, then drove to the swamp to ditch the car, abandoning it when it got stuck. The footprints aroun
d the car had to be those of the killer, aside from the ones made by the duck hunter who found it.”

  “Wow! I knew it! I knew Ben was innocent!” Missy exclaimed, tears of joy in her eyes. “And if it happened the way that you said it did, Cheryl couldn’t have done it either, because she wouldn’t have been strong enough to drag Ben’s body into the trunk or Stanley’s body into the hotel.”

  “Exactly,” Chas nodded, impressed with her deduction.

  “So now all you have to do is find who the real killer is,” she observed.

  “Actually, I’ll need to go over the reports from the lab, but I believe that we’ve already found the killer,” Chas admitted.

  “Really? How?”

  “There was a very thick file folder tucked underneath the liner of the trunk which contained a wealth of very incriminating information. As it turns out, Stanley Conner had come to town because he was blackmailing Dr. Bernard Radcliffe Aston,” he revealed.

  “Blackmailing him? About what?” Missy was astonished.

  “Apparently, Stanley knew about Aston’s past, and his ability to…eliminate people when necessary. The two had made a pact to kill Cheryl’s mother, but, halfway through the process, while she was still in a coma and able to be saved, Stanley got cold feet and tried to talk Aston out of doing it. Aston had tasted the thrill of death before, and nothing was going to deter him from the task at hand. Stanley collected the insurance money and the two agreed to keep the cause of death a secret, but when an investigation began, Aston accused Stanley of the crime, nearly getting him indicted. Stanley held a grudge from that moment forward, and when he ran out of insurance money, he planned to blackmail Aston.

  There were copies of emails between the two, which culminated in a plan to meet at the hotel during the function so that Aston could pay him off. The autopsy report showed that Stanley was given a lethal injection combined with a sedative, in the left side of his neck and that the needle was at an angle consistent with someone standing outside the car and reaching in to give the injection.”

  “So, Dr. Aston is a serial killer?” Missy asked, horrified.

  “So it would seem,” Beckett nodded. “While I was going over the evidence, I got a very strange call from Cheryl. I went to the hospital to pick her up, and she refused to leave Ben’s room, but she handed me a series of syringes that she had collected from the trash when Aston would leave the room late at night. Bernard Aston had been coming into Ben’s room every night to give him a dose of meds that kept him in a chemical coma. The residue in the syringes confirmed that, but even more disturbing was the final syringe,” he paused.

  “Why? What was in the final syringe?” Missy held her breath.

  “Nothing at all. Aston was in the process of squeezing 20ml of air into Ben’s IV line in order to cause an embolism, when Cheryl, who had hidden from the nurses and stayed past visiting hours, made a sound, startling him. His hand jumped, causing him to drop the syringe, and he quickly left the room. Cheryl grabbed the syringe, relieved that the doctor hadn’t had time to inject hardly any air. When she was sure that he was gone, she called me. After speaking with her, I sent officers in to pick up Aston, and he confessed to everything. He even admitted to giving his daughter the cupcake that put her in the hospital. That’s why the empty wrapper was found near Ben’s car. Aston wanted it to look like Ben had done it, but in truth, he did it himself while Ben was in the trunk of Stanley’s car.”

  “How awful! How on earth could he do that to his own child?” Missy wondered, appalled.

  “Well, as it turns out, she’s not actually his child, she was fathered by Sidney Christianson.”

  “So we were right about the affair!”

  Chas nodded. “The important thing is that, now that the hospital staff is aware of what’s been going on, they’ve begun the process of bringing Ben out of his chemically induced coma. By this time tomorrow, he should be talking to you again,” the detective grinned.

  Missy leaped into his arms. “Oh, thank goodness! Chas, thank you for giving me the best news I’ve had in a very long time!”

  The detective smiled and hugged her back, but then became serious again. “I think there’s someone else who could probably use a big hug right now,” he said gently.

  “Cheryl,” Missy whispered, suddenly contrite. “I was so mean to that poor child, and all the while she’s been lurking in Ben’s hospital room after hours, gathering evidence to convict a serial killer. Oh Chas, I feel awful. Why was I so ugly to that girl?” she moaned.

  “Because you thought she might have killed someone and put your beloved Ben in danger,” he reminded her. “But, I’m guessing that an apology would probably do both of you good,” he encouraged.

  Missy nodded. “You’re absolutely right. I’m going down to the hospital now. Do you think she’ll be there?”

  “I know she’ll be there,” Chas said confidently. “I arranged for special visiting hours for her, so that she can stay with Ben 24/7 until he’s well enough to come home.”

  “Chas Beckett, you’re an amazing man, you know that?” Missy said, leaning her forehead against his.

  “Stop it now, you’ll make me blush,” he teased, kissing her soundly. “Now go get your shoes, and I’ll drive you to the hospital.

  Chapter 17

  Missy poked her head into the door of Ben’s hospital room. Today was the day that he was supposed to be fully conscious again, and true to form, he was sitting up in bed, eating a cupcake that Grayson had brought, against doctor’s orders. Her entire staff surrounded the bed, and it touched her heart to see all of the people that she considered family here supporting Ben. Seeing Missy in the doorway, he waved her over, his mouth too full of red velvet cupcake to speak. Tears in her eyes, Missy moved as though in slow motion to stand at Ben’s bedside. Her dear loyal Ben opened his arms wide, and she moved in for a hug, no words needed. Her tears wet his thin hospital gown, and he didn’t mind a bit.

  “Hey, Ms. G.,” he soothed, after swallowing his massive bite of cupcake. “It’s okay, I’m all good now.”

  She pulled back, drying her eyes with the back of her hand. “I was so worried about you,” she confessed. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t recovered.”

  “Well, fortunately I had a stubborn little guardian angel watching over me from the recliner in the corner,” he joked, reaching for Cheryl’s hand. “And she’s going to need some help planning our wedding, if you don’t mind.”

  “The wedding is back on?” Missy asked, overjoyed at the news. “Oh honey,” she said, glancing over at Cheryl. “We have work to do – we’ve lost nearly a whole month of planning time with all of this murder nonsense.” Everyone in the room laughed at the abrupt change of focus, and once again, life was on its way back to normal.

  Chapter 18

  Cheryl wrung her hands nervously as Missy tucked stray curls up into her elaborate up-do on a beautiful Spring morning.

  “You, my dear, are just a perfect vision,” Missy proclaimed, gazing at the bride, who was beautiful from head to toe.

  “Thank you so much, Ms. G., I couldn’t have done this without you,” she replied, tears welling in her beautiful blue eyes.

  “Oh no, darlin, don’t do that!” she exclaimed, jumping up to fan the girl’s face. “Your makeup will run.”

  “I don’t care,” the lovely young woman said, reaching for Missy’s hand. “I want you to know how much you mean to me, and to Ben. Neither of us has our mom anymore, but believe me when I tell you…we both think of you as our new mom. You’re always there for us, and we know that we can count on you, no matter what.”

  “Oh, honey, now you’re making me cry,” Missy smiled through her tears and hugged the beautiful bride. “I love you two with all my heart, and I love it that I get to marry off my son and my daughter on the same day,” she giggled.

  Just then a heart-stoppingly handsome Chas Beckett, fully decked out in a tuxedo because he had the honor of escorting Cheryl to the
altar, knocked softly on the bedroom door. Ben and Cheryl were getting married in the gazebo in Missy’s spacious back yard, and it was nearly time for the lovely bride’s entrance.

  “Are we ready?” he asked, grinning with pride.

  Both ladies nodded, brushing away tears. Missy kissed Cheryl’s cheek and headed down to check on Ben, who was waiting to get in place before the arrival of his bride.

  “Hey, darlin,” Missy greeted him with a hug. “You ready for this?” she teased.

  “More ready than I’ve ever been for anything,” he confessed, blushing.

  “Y’all are going to be so happy. I’m proud of you, Ben. You’re one of the most amazing men I know,” she pinched his cheek fondly.

  “And maybe one of the others will be putting you through all of this sometime soon,” he waggled his eyebrows at her, teasing.

  “Get on up to that altar, young man,” Missy grinned, kissing his cheek. “Your bride will be down here any minute.” She practically floated to her seat in the front row, her sage-green chiffon dress billowing gracefully around her.

  A lively piece of classical music began, and Ben filed in with Grayson and Chris to stand at the altar. Bridesmaids were not necessary, as Grayson stood on Cheryl’s side. The sweet, quiet youth was her best friend, and the only attendant that she would accept. Toffee was the ring-bearer, and wagged her tail wildly, prancing proudly down the aisle to stand with Ben. The music changed, and all the guests stood and turned as the first strains of the bridal march began to play.

  Missy’s heart was in her throat as she witnessed the precious picture made by the angelic bride, and her handsome escort. Tears sprung to her eyes as they made their way, formally in step, down the aisle. She couldn’t help but wonder how it must feel to be in Cheryl’s shoes, making your way to your soon-to-be-mate, promising him an eternity of life, laughter and love. She’d always shied away from the idea of marriage, but the serenity and joy in the faces of Ben and Cheryl made her wonder, if only for a moment, about the wisdom of her choice.