Candied Maple Bacon Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 13 (Donut Hole Mystery)

by Susan Gillard

“I’ve never seen a man that size run like that,” Ryan said, sitting down again.

  “Didn’t I tell ya?” And then she cracked up laughing. Geoff had become a regular source of entertainment. His wild antics to discredit her made her day, every day.

  “Ready to go?” Ryan asked.

  “Sure,” she replied.

  “I’ll get Dave. You get the donuts.”

  Heather winked at her husband, heart swelling at the sound of his voice. “Don’t I always?”

  Chapter 16

  Heather clutched the box of donuts in both hands and walked down the road, Amy at her side. Her bestie was pale this morning, still, on leave from work, and not particularly talkative.

  “Ames?” Heather glanced at her.

  “Huh? Yeah?” Amy blinked and shook her head rapidly. “Sorry, I was somewhere else completely. I’m just really tired today. Maybe, I’m just really tired in general.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Heather asked, slowing to a stop. They were on their way to Eva’s to surprise her with a box of donuts for Hillside Regional – and a couple of extra for the woman herself, of course.

  Amy didn’t reply, just pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze to the concrete.

  “You know you can talk to me about anything. Whatever it is, I’m here to help,” Heather said.

  In truth, she had a list of orders a mile long, Angelica and Maricela had had their very first argument and weren’t talking, and Ryan had sent her a message about his hands being tied – he couldn’t get Davidson to allow them to interview Adele, Reynolds or Kent for that matter.

  She’d drop all that stress to help her bestie.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Amy said, then jerked her thumb towards the road. “C’mon, let’s just go to Eva at the store.”

  Heather chewed the inside of her cheek. They were only a couple blocks from Donut Delights, close to Chase Reynolds’ office building, but Heather didn’t want to rush back to the store under these circumstances.

  “Ames, is it about Kent? About, you know, all that stuff with Honey?” Heather asked.

  Amy’s cheeks went paler still. “A little, but that’s not all of it. Trust me, when I’m ready to tell you, I will. All right?”

  “Okay,” Heather replied. “Let’s get moving. Walking always does the body and mind good.”

  Amy kept quiet again, and they walked on. Another sunny day in Hillside, a few puffy white clouds drifting across the sky. A gentle breeze brushed at Heather’s up do, twirling a few strands of hair in the breeze.

  They rounded the corner and Amy halted on the spot. Heather frowned and waited for her, then backtracked a couple of steps. “What’s the matter?”

  Amy stared ahead, at someone or something in the distance. Heather followed her line of sight, and a bucket of ice dropped into the pit of Heather’s stomach.

  Chase Reynolds sat on the hood of his Audi A8, chatting amiably with Kent. The two men wore flawless suits, Kent’s navy blue and Chase’s the stark black of a starless night.

  Chase gave a tight smile, then pointed towards his office building. Kent hesitated a second, before turning and walking inside, closely followed by his compatriot in black.

  “What was that about? How do they even know each other?”

  Amy shook her head, wordlessly.

  “Amy, I have to go to Kent’s house, now. Do you understand?” Heather asked. “I need to get inside and check it out before he finishes his meeting with Chase.”

  “Okay,” Amy said, hoarsely and took the donut box from Heather. “But I’m not going with. I’m sorry, Heather, but I can’t. I just can’t handle it right now.”

  “That’s fine. I totally understand. Please, give the donuts to Eva and tell her I’ll come see her later.”

  Amy nodded, a tiny frown creeping onto her forehead. “He had something to do with it, didn’t he? Kent, I mean. He had something to do with the murder.”

  “I don’t know for sure, yet. I can’t assume.”

  Amy set her jaw, ground her teeth for a second. “Then you’d better have this,” she said. She dug in her pocket, using one hand to hold the Donut Delights box aloft, then brought out a key. “It’s the key to his house. I was going to give it back to him this weekend. Couldn’t stomach the thought of being in the same room as him before then. Lame, right?”

  “Not lame. You’re upset and judging by this little meeting. You have every right to be.” Heather took the key from Amy’s outstretched hand, then drew her friend into a one-armed hug. “You’re so strong, Ames. I wish I could be half as strong as you.”

  “Whatever, ha, you’re way stronger than me. Look, I’d better get these donuts to the store, or I’ll end up eating them all myself,” Amy said, casting a final glance at the behemoth of a building into which Kent had disappeared.

  “Stay safe,” Heather said.

  “Same to you, darlin’,” Amy replied, then turned and strode off into the distance. She crossed the road as soon as she could and disappeared around the far corner.

  Heather watched her friend leave, concern twisting her brain into knots. Whatever had caused the change in Amy’s attitude had to be a big problem. Amy wasn’t the kind of woman to let small knocks get her down.

  “Focus,” Heather said, closing her hand around Kent’s front door key. The jagged edges cut into her palm, but she didn’t stop squeezing.

  She hurried back down the road, bringing out her cell as she went.

  Kent meeting with Chase Reynolds about something at Reynolds’ office. Checking out Kent’s apartment now. Keep you updated. Be prepared to make an arrest.

  Heather’s sleuthin’ sense wasn’t on tingle mode. It screamed at her instead. Kent was involved, this meeting was important, and if she didn’t figure out why, the murderer would get away.

  Chapter 17

  Heather unlocked Kent’s front door and let herself into the cool interior of the hall.

  The last time she’d entered his home, it’d been to find him tied to a chair, unconscious, thanks to Honey’s murderous stalker at the time.

  Now, the place was empty, too empty actually. Boxes lined the hall, some half open – was Kent about to run away?

  Heather whipped out her smartphone and snapped pictures as she walked, suspicion elevating, higher and higher.

  “Oh, Kent, what have you done?” She whispered, continuing through the house. She paused in the kitchen and snapped a picture of the empty cupboards, the spot where the TV had been, then progressed into the bedroom.

  She switched on the lampshade beside Kent’s bed and blinked to adjust to the sudden influx of light. A dark wood armoire sat against the wall, beside blue, cotton curtains, its doors thrown wide open.

  A gun safe peered between coats and suit jackets, open and empty. Heather scurried towards it and snapped a pic of that, then sent the lot to her husband.

  Up to something. Looks like he’s trying to skip town. Heather texted, then swallowed to beat back nausea in her tummy. This sucked. The whole vibe of the murder, losing Honey on her front porch, Kent being involved and hurting Amy in the process, all of it sucked.

  At least she hadn’t touched any of the evidence in Kent’s apartment. That forensic ‘relaxed reading’ had paid off.

  A text pinged on her cell, and she opened the message.

  On my way to Reynolds Tower. Meet me there with these images, please. Stay outside the building.

  “Yeah, right.” If her husband thought she’d stay out of this one, he was out of his mind.

  Heather strode back through the living room, dialing a number as she went. Two rings and a man picked up on the other end of the line.

  “Bob’s Ballistics, how may I help you?”

  “Hi there, Bob, this is Heather. I came in the other day with Amy. She’s a good friend of mine,” Heather said. She couldn’t bring herself to call him Bally Bob or Ballistic for that matter.

  “Oh hi, darlin’, yeah I remember ya. What can I do yo
u for?” He asked.

  “I’m calling in a favor here, on Amy’s behalf. Could you take a look through your books or files and tell me if Kent Bentley bought a gun from you any time in recent history?”

  Bob didn’t hesitate. “Sure did. Bought one from me a couple of months back, jus’ after he moved to Hillside. Came in lookin’ all pale and said he wanted the best huntin’ rifle he could get his hands on. I obliged.”

  “Thanks, Bob,” Heather replied.

  “Please, call me Bally,” he said.

  “Uh, right, have a good day.” And then she hung up. Why had Kent been pale? Had he known that someone was after him before he’d been attacked by Honey’s stalker? Or did it have something to do with Chase Reynolds?

  “No, Chase wasn’t around a couple of months ago.” Heather texted again, darting toward the front door, her heart thumping a pattern against the skin of her throat.

  Ballistic Bob confirmed that Kent bought a rifle shortly after moving to Hillside. Evidence stacking up.

  Ryan’s text pinged through almost instantly. On my way. Ditched Davidson back at the station.

  Heather darted out the front door, closed it behind her, then locked up. She dashed down the road, signaling for a taxi or a lift, but no one stopped, and the streets were relatively quiet for 10 am.

  It took Heather fifteen minutes to sprint – giving a silent nod to her high school track days – from Kent’s place to Reynolds Tower.

  Ryan pulled up just as she arrived, then got out the car. “He still up there?” He called.

  “No idea,” Heather said, between shuddering gasps for breath. Her lungs were on fire.

  Ryan gestured for her to stay put, but she rolled her eyes at him and stumbled along behind him. He didn’t bother trying to stop her but pointed to a spot a few feet behind him.

  She followed his lead and kept her distance, questions arcing through her mind. Lightning connections and missing leads.

  Kent had bought a rifle. Kent had spent a lot of time with Honey, but where did Hunter fit into the equation? He’d been shot with the same rifle Honey had, but he lifted right out.

  Unless, Hunter had taken exception to Kent because of what’d happened to Honey.

  Perhaps that was why his door had been open, the morning she’d entered his house. He’d been waiting for something or someone. It could’ve been Kent.

  But where did Chase Reynolds fit into the equation?

  Ryan flashed his badge at the receptionist at the front desk, and she waved him through, jaw dropping at the sight of him with his gun drawn.

  They took the stairs, spiraling upwards, upwards, then reached the fifth floor and exited into a long hall. Empty conference rooms, separated by glass instead of walls, surrounded them.

  Ryan led the way, creeping down the hall until they reached the solid brown door at its end. The nameplate read, Mr. Chase Reynolds, in golden print.

  Ostentatious much?

  Ryan placed his hand on the crystal doorknob, but Heather waved for him to stop moving, then cocked her ear towards the room.

  “Do you think I care about your problems, Kent?” Chase said those unctuous tones gave Heather chills. “You can buy another gun. What’s the big deal?”

  “The big deal?!” Kent blustered. “The cops are going to think I did it. They’re going to think I hurt Honey.” He choked on her name.

  “What, are you going to cry? The woman got what was coming to her. She should never have interfered with my business. If she’d left Hunter to pay off his debt instead of trying to blackmail me into erasing it, he’d be the dead one, not her,” Chase said.

  “You’re a monster,” Kent replied. “I’m going to lose everything because of you.”

  “Business is business.” Chase yawned, the sicko yawned, between the words. “And this is business. Now, remember, if you go to the cops I’ll kill you. Are you all packed and ready to leave?”

  A long pause. Kent spoke, at last, voice cracked with exhaustion. “Yeah.”

  “Good. The sooner you get out of here, the safer you’ll be. The safer everyone will be.”

  “You won’t get away with it, Chase. Someone will figure it out,” Kent replied.

  “Like who? Your little girlfriend? She’s more interested in dating me than investigating me, dude.”

  Heather pressed her fingers to her lips. So much information in such a short span of time.

  Chase was the killer. He’d stolen Kent’s gun – still a mystery as to why he’d had it in the first place. Hunter owed Chase money, but what was Chase, a wealthy businessman, doing lending money to people? He was an investor, not a loan shark.

  Heather met Ryan’s gaze.

  “Drugs,” he mouthed.

  A light bulb clicked on in Heather’s mind. Chase was into drugs. That was where he’d gotten his initial investment of capital. It had to be.

  “Stay back here,” Ryan mouthed, again. “Understand?”

  Heather gave him a thumbs up. She was ambitious as an investigator, but no way would she go in that room and confront Chase, unarmed. This was the part she’d leave to the professionals.

  Ryan drew in a deep breath. His expression went blank. He counted down, three, two, one.

  Then he opened the door and disappeared into the room.

  “Put your hands behind your head,” he said, calmly. “Mr. Reynolds, you’re under arrest for the murder of Honey Trickle.”

  Chapter 18

  Amy sat on a stool behind the counter in Donut Delights, scanning the customers in the store, Heather standing by her side, hand on her shoulder. Maricela had the customer orders under control, so she could afford to take a break and talk to her bestie about what’d happened.

  “So, he didn’t do it. That’s good news. Right?” Heather squeezed Amy’s shoulder, gently.

  “I guess,” Amy replied. “But he was involved somehow. I just don’t get any of it. Why did this happen?”

  Heather exhaled, puffing out her cheeks and resisting the urge to hum a song. “Okay, Ryan explained the theory to me in short. Chase was a drug dealer, and Hunter got into debt with him. Then Honey blackmailed Chase and said she’d out him to Hillside if he didn’t erase her brother’s debt.”

  “But how does Kent fit in? Why did he have a gun?” Amy asked.

  “Because I wanted to protect myself.”

  The besties flinched and looked to the front counter again. Kent stood there, resplendent in another of his suits, face drawn, sorrow and fatigue etched into the lines on his skin.

  “Kent,” Amy said, then gulped. “I guess you know you’re here since you’re you.”

  “You’re not making any sense,” Heather whispered.

  Amy gave a tiny, bitter chuckle. “I’m aware of that.”

  “After I moved to Hillside, I started getting threatening notes from Honey’s boyfriend or stalker. Whatever he was, he threatened me, and I got the hunting rifle to protect myself. I could’ve gotten another gun, but I wanted the rifle, because, I dunno, I guess I wanted to pretend I wasn’t afraid, that the gun was just for hunting, not for self-defense.”

  Heather nodded. She’d suspected as much. But that still didn’t explain –

  “Chase was an old friend from school. He was a lot younger than me, but we were buddies as kids. He kinda clung to that after he moved here. I had no clue he was into dealing or anything sinister, so obviously, I told him all about Honey and the attack, and about you too, Amy. I talked about you, a lot,” Kent said.

  “About me,” she whispered.

  “Yeah. I’m in love with you. It follows that I’d brag about it. Chase took advantage of me. He revealed his true colors after Honey’s murder.” Kent scraped his fingers through his hair. “Honey was like a sister to me. We got real close after I helped her out. She reminded me of what it felt like to have a family, though I think she confused my care for something other than what it was. The minute she told me how she felt, I pulled back. I just didn’t see her that way.”

/>   Amy straightened, then slumped again. “Kent, I –”

  “I know these past weeks have been crazy, but please, Amy, you’ve got to give me a chance to prove myself to you, again. I do love you. I’m crazy about you. I’ll do anything to have you back.”

  “I need to focus on me, now. I’m not strong enough to handle a relationship,” Amy whispered.

  But she was wrong. Amy was strong enough to deal with the possibility that Kent had been a murderer and still keep it together, smile at Eva after she’d ordered her donut and everything.

  Heather nudged her bestie in the ribs. “You are,” she murmured.

  Kent circled the counter, pausing to check if it was okay with Heather first. “I’ve put you through a lot, and I won’t promise that anything between us will be super easy or super fun, all the time. But it will be worth it, Ames.”

  Tears streaked down Amy’s cheeks. A slow smile spread on her lips. Every eye in Donut Delights focused on the couple.

  “Okay,” she said. “But let’s take it really slow. Really, really slow.”

  Kent’s return smile lit up the entire room. He hurried to Amy’s side and wrapped his arms around her, then kissed her on the forehead.

  The customers erupted into applause. Eva laughed from her table at the front of the store, and Maricela dabbed at her eyes with a napkin.

  “Free Candied Maple Bacon Donuts for everyone,” Heather announced.

  The applause turned into gleeful whoops.

  Heather hurried to the glass counter to hand out the donuts. Finally, everything was right in her world again.

  THE END

  A letter from the Author

  To each and every one of my Amazing readers: I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think by leaving a review!

  I’ll be releasing another installment in two weeks so to stay in the loop (and to get free books and other fancy stuff) Join my Book club.

  Stay Curious,

  Susan Gillard