Daley Buzz Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Meredith Potts

  My boyfriend turned his head, spotted me, and began approaching. As he made his way toward me, the pained expression on his face was unmistakable. Was that because he didn’t want to talk to me? Or because the details of the case were just so disturbing? Then again, perhaps it was a little bit of both.

  “Sabrina, what are you doing here?” David asked.

  “Wally called me,” I replied. “Is it true? Did you find Julie’s body?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  David quickly pulled me aside. The last thing he wanted was for me to be in earshot of the crowd of neighbors that had gathered to gawk at the police activity.

  Although as I stared into David’s eyes, I got the distinct impression that he would have preferred for me to have stayed at Daley Buzz.

  It was too late for that. Whether he liked it or not, I wasn’t going anywhere until I got some answers.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I asked.

  David groaned. “I really wish Wally hadn’t involved you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you don’t need to be here.”

  “I disagree.”

  “That’s because you don’t know the facts.”

  “Fill me in, then.”

  “I know that open-and-shut cases are uncommon in Treasure Cove, but this is a rare exception,” he said.

  “So it is true, then? Julie’s dead?” I asked.

  He reluctantly nodded. “Unfortunately.” He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. “Look. I’m really sorry. I was hoping that we’d find her alive—”

  I put my hand over my chest. “This is heartbreaking.” It took all the willpower I had to stop myself from breaking into tears. “I can’t believe it.”

  “I know this must be especially hard for you to hear—”

  I knew David was just trying to be sympathetic, but his words didn’t console me. Learning of Julie’s death was bad enough, but I had a feeling he was about to compare this case with my sister’s. That made my mind go to a dark place.

  Granted, the similarities in the cases were strikingly similar. Both Jessica and Julie had disappeared out of the blue, only to be found dead later. Talk about heartbreaking. Just thinking about it took the wind out of me.

  Which was why I did my best to fight off the memories of Jessica. At least for the moment. In the future, there would be plenty of time to think about how much I missed my sister.

  Right then, I wanted to focus on Julie.

  Clearly, she had not died of natural causes. There would be no need for this many squad cars, nor the presence of the medical examiner if that were the case.

  What limited information I had pointed to Julie’s death being the result of murder. Until I was convinced that her killer was behind bars, I wouldn’t be able to rest.

  Which brought me back to Wally.

  “You’re convinced that Wally did this?” I asked.

  Instead of getting a straight answer, David replied with a question of his own. “Sabrina, are you sure you really want to get into this right now?”

  “Don’t worry about me,” I said.

  “It’s hard not to. I love you. And one of your friends was just killed.”

  “Look, David. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate that you are looking out for my feelings. But I want to know the truth.”

  He took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll tell you what you want to know. But be warned—you’re not going to like what I have to say.”

  “You’re convinced that Wally did this, aren’t you?”

  He nodded. “All signs are pointing to him being guilty.”

  “What signs are those?” I asked.

  “To start, we found Julie’s body in Wally’s garden shed.”

  My eyes widened. I tripped over my tongue a number of times as my thoughts spilled out of my mouth in a fragmented fashion. “That’s…wow…I don’t even know what to say to that.”

  David winced. “I know. It’s really disturbing. At the same time, it’s also highly incriminating.”

  My nose crinkled. “It’s also very strange.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s the right word for it. Don’t you mean twisted?”

  “That, too. But it’s also undeniably odd. I mean, who murders someone then hides the body in their garden shed?”

  “I admit, if you are trying to keep people from finding a dead body, there are much better places to hide it than there. Maybe he planned on disposing of it at a later date but he just hadn’t found the right time.”

  I squinted. “Perhaps.”

  “You don’t believe that?” he asked.

  I gritted my teeth. “It just doesn’t add up. I mean, granted, Wally isn’t a criminal mastermind, but I can’t believe he would be so stupid as to hide the body here.”

  “My job isn’t to question how smart or stupid criminals are—”

  “But that’s the thing. I’m not sure that I believe that Wally is capable of something as heinous as murder.”

  “Sabrina, how can you ignore the fact that Julie’s body was in his shed?”

  “I’m not ignoring it. I’m trying to make sense of it.”

  “While you’re doing that, there’s more incriminating evidence that you don’t know about.”

  “Such as?”

  “Julie’s body had a fatal stab wound in her chest,” he said.

  I grimaced.

  David continued. “That’s not all. Forensics found a bloodstained knife in the shed beside the body.”

  I lowered my head.

  “I know that’s not what you wanted to hear—”

  “Were there any prints on the knife?” I asked.

  David shook his head. “Surprisingly, no. But—”

  “So wait a minute. Are you saying that Wally was careful enough not to leave fingerprints on the murder weapon but careless enough to leave Julie’s body in his shed? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I admit that is quite odd.”

  I squinted. “That’s not the only peculiarity. What made you even look in Wally’s shed in the first place?”

  “Dispatch received an anonymous call.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Anonymous?”

  “I know you’re always skeptical of anonymous calls, but the information provided was spot-on. The caller told dispatch that they saw Wally loading something into his shed that was very large and covered in a black bedsheet. My team searched the shed and found Julie’s body there.”

  “My argument isn’t with the validity of the information. It’s with the caller. I mean, why not state their name? Why all the secrecy?” I asked.

  “Maybe they were afraid of giving their name,” he replied.

  I scratched my chin. “Perhaps.”

  “A lot of people are afraid of retribution. Most people, actually. And especially when dealing with a killer.”

  I corrected him. “Suspected killer.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  I nodded. “You make a good point.”

  “Of course I do. Very few people would be as fearless as you are when it comes to staring down potential murderers.”

  “True. How about the caller’s gender?”

  “Dispatch believes the caller was a man, but it’s possible that it was a woman.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “Apparently, they had a very raspy, androgynous voice.”

  I fell silent and wrestled with my thoughts.

  “Do you have some other explanation for how this happened?” David asked.

  “The caller sure provided a lot of detail. Plus, their account of what happened requires a unique vantage point. Some random passerby on the street wouldn’t have been able to see all that. You’d need to have a view of Wally’s backyard.”

  “Okay. So?”

  “That means the call most likely came from one of Wally’s neighbors. Have you talked to any of them?”

  He shook his head.

  “Were you plann
ing on it?” I asked.

  “I don’t need to. We have the body. Does it really matter who made the call?”

  I nodded. “It is if the call wasn’t placed by one of the neighbors.”

  David shrugged. “Who else would it have been placed by?”

  “Did it occur to you that the caller might actually be the killer?”

  He held his hand out. “Wait a minute. I need to stop you right there. Those are two really big assumptions. First, that Wally didn’t kill Julie. And second, that someone else did—some unknown person who anonymously called in a tip.”

  “Hey. It’s a possibility.”

  “Really? Do you have anything to back that up? Or was that just a random thought that popped into your mind?”

  I took a deep breath. “My gut is telling me that something doesn’t add up.”

  “Can your gut be more specific?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “Not at the moment.”

  “So you don’t think Wally did this?”

  I took a few seconds to myself and listened to my instincts. “I’m not convinced.”

  “Do you just wish he didn’t do it, or do you really think he’s innocent?” David asked.

  “Look. I know the last thing you want is for me to come over here and try to poke holes in your case.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “I’m just worried that you might be too close to this one. I mean, your friend was the victim. Your ex-boyfriend is the prime suspect. The case itself has too many close shades resembling what happened to your sister. Emotionally speaking, this is a devastating case. But look at the facts,” David said.

  “The only fact you really have is the body being found in Wally’s shed. It’s everything leading up to it that I question. I mean, go back to this anonymous call for a minute.”

  “Let me guess. You think someone else might have killed Julie, placed her body in Wally’s shed, and then put in an anonymous call to frame him for the crime?”

  “Can you really tell me that isn’t a possibility?” I asked.

  “No. But I can tell you that it’s highly unlikely.”

  My eyes lit up. “How about the phone number that the call was placed from?”

  “I know what you’re thinking, but the caller went out of their way to stay anonymous,” he replied.

  “What do you mean?”

  “According to dispatch, the call came from a pay phone that is at the corner of Elm Street and Oak Street.”

  My nose crinkled. “A pay phone?”

  “Don’t read too much into this—”

  “How could I not?” I asked. “Everyone has a cell phone these days. And that intersection is miles from here. So for the caller to leave their place and drive a few miles away to place a call is very curious.”

  “You’re focusing a lot on this call.”

  “Come on. That doesn’t strike you as odd?” I asked.

  “Sabrina, my focus isn’t on the call right now. I’m more concerned with the fact that Julie’s body was found in Wally’s shed with the murder weapon. You can understand why that would be the center of my attention.”

  “How about Wally? Have you talked to him yet?” I asked.

  David nodded. “He, of course, claims that he’s innocent. The problem is that he has no verifiable alibi for the time of Julie’s murder.”

  My eyes widened. “Wait a minute. So you have the time of death?”

  “It’s just preliminary right now, but the medical examiner believes that Julie was killed shortly before Shannon’s holiday party began. A party that Wally arrived late to.”

  “What’s Wally’s account of his whereabouts for that night?” I said.

  “He told me that he came home from work, went out for a run, took a shower, and then drove over to Julie’s house to pick her up for the party.”

  I grimaced. “I’ve heard better alibis.”

  “Of course you have. Besides, like I told you before, he has no one to corroborate any of that story.”

  “That said, you’re really going to detain him?” I asked.

  David took a deep breath. “Sabrina, I know you don’t want to hear this, but he’s going to be arrested.”

  I tensed up. “No. I can’t believe it.”

  “I’m sorry, but all the facts are pointing to Wally being guilty.”

  “Tell that to my instincts.” Resolve came to my face. “I want to talk to him.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  I approached the squad car where Wally was being detained. He sat in the backseat, looking like he wanted to pull his hair out. His hands being cuffed behind his back prevented that from happening, but his frustration was still ever present.

  “Sabrina, I didn’t do this,” Wally said. “You have to believe me.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I really want to take your word for that, but I have to be honest with you. Things aren’t looking good for you right now,” I replied.

  “I know. I mean, here I am in the back of a squad car. This is insane.”

  “The police don’t agree.”

  “Yeah? Well, they’re wrong.”

  “If that’s the case, then point me in the right direction,” I replied. “You know me. If you’re really innocent, I’ll do everything in my power to help you. But you need to tell me the truth.”

  He stared deep into my eyes. “Sabrina, I didn’t kill Julie.”

  His eyes were as clear as could be as he said that. In addition, there was no hesitation in his voice.

  “I’m afraid that isn’t enough.”

  He shrugged. “What more do you want from me?”

  “Right now, what you need more than anything, is some proof of your innocence.”

  “But I told you, I didn’t do it—”

  “Saying you are innocent is not proof.”

  “Sabrina. You believe me, don’t you?”

  “I told you. I want to believe you. But look at the case against you. I mean, the police found Julie’s body in your shed—”

  “I have no idea how it got there,” he said.

  “So what are you saying, that someone else put it there?”

  “Yes. That’s the only explanation,” he said.

  I stared at him.

  “I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t kill Julie. Until the police found her body, I didn’t even know that she was dead,” Wally said. “Besides, I never go in that shed. Anyone could have put it there without me knowing it.”

  “Say that someone else did put Julie’s body there—”

  He cut me off. “Someone did.”

  “Wally, this is a murder investigation. It doesn’t matter how many times you tell me you didn’t do this. Proof is the only thing that can keep you out of jail right now. Do you have any?”

  “No, but I do have logic.”

  My forehead wrinkled. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m not some crazy psycho, but just say I was. If I had killed Julie, why would I have just left her body in my shed? Why wouldn’t I have buried her corpse? Or disposed of it somewhere far away from my property?”

  “I can’t argue with that point, but a jury might be able to,” I said. “Between Julie’s body being found on your property and the fact that you don’t have a verifiable alibi for the time of her murder, it’s going to take a lot to convince a jury that you are anything but guilty.”

  Wally lowered his head. He took a deep breath and remained quiet.

  I waited for a response from him for a few seconds longer before finally speaking up.

  “Can you give me anything else to work with?”

  Wally took a deep breath and then looked back up at me. “What if I did have an alibi for the time of Julie’s murder?”

  My eyebrows knitted. “What are you talking about? You told me that you went out for a run before the holiday party that night.”

  “That isn’t the truth,” Wally replied.

  “Wally, you lied t
o me?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Technically.”

  I groaned. “I can’t believe it. Congratulations, you just managed to make things worse for yourself. If there’s one thing a jury hates, it’s a liar.”

  “Look. I’m not proud of myself, but I do have an alibi for the time of Julie’s murder.”

  “Do you really expect me to believe you now when you just admitted to lying to me?”

  “Please. Just hear me out,” he said.

  I folded my arms. “Where were you really during the time of the murder?”

  “I was at the doctor’s office.”

  I squinted at him. “What? But that doesn’t make any sense. If you were really at the doctor’s office, then why didn’t you just come out and say that in the first place?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  My nose crinkled. “I don’t understand. Since when is going to the doctor complicated?”

  Wally grimaced and remained quiet.

  “Wally, you’re not making any sense. What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.

  “It’s complicated because I wasn’t just seeing any doctor. I was at a plastic surgeon’s office getting some work done.”

  I looked at him like he had two heads. “Wait a minute. Are you serious?”

  “See? That look in your eyes. That’s exactly why I made up the story about going out for a run that night.”

  “Wally, I gave you that look because you’re being ridiculous. This is a murder investigation. You should have just come out with the truth in the first place,” I said.

  “When I first told that lie, I didn’t realize it would come back to haunt me later. I had no clue that Julie would turn up dead. I just figured that she would be found alive and that my secret would never end up seeing the light of day.”

  “You couldn’t have been more wrong.”

  “I realize that now. But like I said, when I made up that little white lie, I didn’t think I’d end up in the back of a police car, suspected of a crime that I didn’t commit.”

  I exhaled. “What I don’t understand is why you didn’t just tell the truth in the first place.”

  “You don’t get it. Personal trainers are supposed to look a certain way. Being in shape isn’t enough. People expect me to be like one of those models on the cover of fitness magazines with six-pack abs and no body fat. But a healthy diet and lifting weights can only do so much. Sometimes, your body needs a little help. That’s where the doctor came in.”