Once the class was over, I wanted to speak with Benjamin a little more, but he needed to rush home and get cleaned up before heading off to work. As the manager of a pet store in town, it was vital that he showed up for his shift on time to set a good example for his employees.
While Benjamin was in a hurry to leave the park, I was able to go about my day in a more leisurely fashion. As I took my time driving home, I thought about the rough spot that Benjamin was in. My heart went out to him. I kept wondering if there was anything I could do to assist him. I felt so helpless, seeing my friend struggle.
I was also struck by how crazy life was sometimes. For example. That morning, I had woken up riding high on the news of my pregnancy. At the same time, Benjamin was at a low point in his life. It was always such a surreal experience, thinking about how one of the best days of my life, was one of the worst days of someone else’s.
Once I arrived back home, I showered, put on some fresh clothes, and drove to my family’s coffee shop. I had a date with a latte. Not to mention, two of my oldest friends would be there, as they were every morning before they started work.
The moment I entered Daley Buzz, my mood drastically improved. Then again, how could I not have a smile on my face as I greeted Shannon Marlowe and Kelly Hogan? I couldn’t wait to reveal my big news to them. I knew they’d absolutely flip.
Before I had a chance to get a word out, I saw Kelly giving me a very curious look. My thirty-year-old friend had wavy blond hair, a full figure, and a love of New Age enchantments. Right then, however, my focus was on the expression in her blue eyes. She was staring at me so hard that it was like she was peering right into my soul.
“You have big news, don’t you?” Kelly asked.
My eyes widened. “How did you know that?”
My other friend, Shannon Marlowe, was curious about that as well. The petite thirty-two-year-old redhead had freckles dotting the cheeks of her round face. She squinted at me as she spoke. “Wait. Kelly was right?”
I nodded.
Shannon put her hands on her hips. “What’s the news then?”
I put my hand up. “Hold on a minute. Before I tell you what’s going on, I want to hear from Kelly first.” I stared at my friend. “How did you know that something big had happened in my life?”
“I had a dream last night about you,” Kelly said.
My eyebrows rose. “Really?”
Kelly nodded. “It was so vivid.” She looked down at my stomach. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
“I have to say, that was one incredible dream of yours,” I replied.
Shannon’s nose crinkled. “Was it just a dream, or is it true? I’m dying to know, Sabrina. Are you really pregnant?”
I smiled wide. “I sure am.”
Shannon’s eyes lit up. “Wow. That’s so great.”
“I’ll say. I’m so happy for you,” Kelly added.
Shannon and Kelly then gave me a big hug.
“This is amazing,” Kelly said.
“It’s also a cause for celebration,” Shannon said. “I’ll bet you’re just beside yourself with excitement.”
I rubbed my tummy and felt an urge take hold of me. “Actually, I’m really hungry right now.”
Shannon chuckled.
My eyebrows knitted. “What’s so funny?”
“That you’d bring up food at a time like this,” Shannon said.
Kelly threw out her arms. “Why wouldn’t she bring up food? She’s eating for two now.”
“I sure am,” I said. “And at the moment, I’m having a serious craving for chocolate pudding.”
Shannon squinted. “Pudding? Really?”
“Trust me. I’m just as surprised as you are. But the craving is here, whether it makes sense or not,” I said.
“Does that mean you’re going to cut this conversation short to get some pudding?” Shannon asked.
I shook my head. “No. I’m trying my best to fight off the craving.”
A surprised look came to Shannon’s face. “Really?”
“Make no mistake. I know I’m going to gain a certain amount of weight with my pregnancy. But I don’t want to go crazy and start eating everything in sight,” I said.
“I’m not sure that’s the best call,” Shannon said.
“Why not?” I asked.
“If ever there’s a time to go crazy with your food choices, it’s now,” Shannon said. “You have a free license to go nuts. You should take advantage of it.”
“My sweet tooth loves the sound of that,” I said.
“Of course it does. What’s not to love about chocolate?” Shannon asked.
“That’s so true,” I said.
Shannon’s mouth began to water.
“At the same time, I can’t help but worry,” I said. “I mean, once I give birth, I’m going to have to take the baby weight off. And I know how difficult dieting is. So, I’d prefer to make things easier for myself, rather than harder.”
“Sabrina, I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. What’s the harm of one bowl of pudding?” Shannon asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I asked. “Trying to stop at just one.”
Shannon laughed.
“You may think I’m joking, but I’m dead serious here. When something is delicious, it’s hard not to order seconds,” I said.
“So, does that mean you’re going to skip the pudding then?” Shannon asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I think it’s for the best.”
Shannon exhaled. “You’re probably right.”
While Shannon and I were trying our hardest to stop thinking about pudding, Kelly had something else on her mind.
“Now that we’re done talking about dessert items, why don’t we get back to what’s really important? You’re going to be a mother. How cool is that?” Kelly said.
A sparkle came to my eyes. “It’s pretty incredible.”
“I’ll say. I’m so happy for you,” Kelly said.
“Me too,” Shannon added.
“Thanks,” I said.
“You have so much to look forward to,” Kelly said.
I nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Chapter Five
It ended up being a very dreamy day for me. I spent a lot of time with my head in the clouds, thinking about the future. For the majority of the afternoon and evening, I felt like I was walking on air.
Unfortunately, the next morning, my thoughts came crashing back down to Earth. The trouble began when I arrived at my fitness class in the park and didn’t see Benjamin anywhere. After the disturbing conversation I’d had with him the day before, I was really hoping to have a few words with him right then. Instead, I found myself wondering where he was.
I approached Melissa Wilcox, desperate to see if she had answers.
“Have you seen Benjamin this morning?” I asked.
Melissa shook her head. “Nope.”
I squinted. “That’s odd.”
She looked at the time on her phone. “It sure is. Class starts in two minutes. It definitely isn’t like him not to be here yet.”
“It sure isn’t.”
She scratched her chin. “Maybe he slept in.”
I bit the corner of my lip. “I suppose that’s possible. Although, it isn’t likely.”
“You’re right. I mean, he has bragged about being an early-riser ever since I’ve known him.”
“Plus, he’s usually an incredibly punctual man.”
“Even so, we all have bad days.”
My forehead wrinkled. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
Melissa stared into my eyes. “Uh-oh. I don’t like that look of yours.”
“Yeah? Well, I don’t like having a pit in my stomach,” I said.
Instead of speculating any further, I grabbed my phone and dialed Benjamin’s number. Unfortunately, he didn’t pick up the phone. I left him a quick voice mail. For good measure, I also sent him a text message.
I was hoping that
he would respond right away.
That didn’t happen.
A minute later, the fitness class began.
At first, I thought the exercises would make for a good distraction. In truth, I found myself worrying about Benjamin more and more with each minute that passed.
***
Halfway through the class, the bad feeling in my gut got so strong that I couldn’t ignore it any longer. My instincts were telling me to head over to Benjamin’s house to check up on him in person. When I got a feeling like that, I knew better than to ignore it.
I left class early to dart over to Lofton Drive. Thankfully, it was only a few blocks away from the park. Within five minutes, my car pulled in front of Benjamin’s green Victorian-style home.
As I parked my sedan and got out of the vehicle, I heard the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance. That was paired with a slight breeze that rustled the leaves of the oak tree in Benjamin’s front yard. Other than that, the street was dead quiet.
I went up the walkway leading to Benjamin’s front door and didn’t see anything amiss. When I reached Benjamin’s porch, I knocked on the door a few times.
Unfortunately, he didn’t answer the door.
Instead of just waiting around for an answer, I took a few steps to the right on his porch and peered in his living room window.
That was when I saw something that made my jaw drop.
Benjamin’s body was on the ground in the living room. Even worse, he was completely motionless.
I rushed back to the front door and reached out for the doorknob.
Before I grabbed the knob, my investigative instincts took hold of me. What if there are fingerprints on this doorknob?
In case I was correct, I reached into my purse and pulled out a tissue. I then grabbed the doorknob with the tissue. Much to my surprise, the door was unlocked.
Instead of lingering on that point, I opened the door and scrambled into the living room. Unfortunately, the moment I reached Benjamin’s body, I could tell he was dead.
Chapter Six
My pulse immediately began to race as I knelt down beside Benjamin’s body. What an absolute tragedy. As I looked around, it was clear that this wasn’t just some accident. At the same time, Benjamin hadn’t died from natural causes either. The bloody gash at the back of his head made that pretty evident. This had murder written all over it.
I didn’t have to look very far to spot the probable murder weapon. A bloodstained fireplace poker was on the ground a few feet away from the body.
A call to my husband was in order. Once I told David what I had found, he jumped into his car and sped over to Lofton Drive. He ended up arriving at the house ten minutes later. A forensics team and a slew of deputies were right behind him.
By then, I was standing on the front porch. I always got queasy around dead bodies. This time was no different. Although, that morning, I actually felt more nauseous than ever.
Usually, getting some fresh air made me feel a little bit better. But I was wrestling with more than just a weak stomach.
My heart was broken. It was bad enough when the victim was a stranger. When it was a friend like Benjamin, the loss hit me harder than ever.
After parking his car, David immediately rushed over and gave me a big hug. I didn’t want him to let go, but I knew he had to head inside and take a look at the scene of the crime.
Reluctantly, I pulled back from the hug. David assured me he would return to me shortly once he had a chance to look at the body.
David then entered the house.
***
I spent the next few minutes trying to hold myself together.
After taking a thorough look at the crime scene, David exited Benjamin’s house and rejoined me on the porch.
“I am so sorry this happened,” he said.
“You and me both,” I said. “I mean, he was around our age. And now he’s gone forever.”
David winced. “It’s terrible.”
“I just can’t believe it. For him to die like this, it’s just…” I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence.
“I know what you mean,” David said.
I stared off into the distance.
David put his hand on my shoulder. “I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better.”
“Unfortunately, there isn’t.” I shook my head. “There really isn’t.” I let out a groan. “You know, he told me he was having problems, but I didn’t realize they were this serious. If I had known—”
He interrupted me. “Stop right there. You can’t blame yourself for this. You couldn’t have predicted that this would happen. How could you have known that someone would commit murder?”
I took a deep breath. “You’re right. Still, I can’t help but think, who would do something like this?”
David’s face filled with resolve. “I don’t have an answer right now, but I’m going to find out.”
“I know. I was just asking in the general sense. What kind of a monster kills someone like that?”
“A sick and twisted soul, that’s who.”
“I don’t disagree.” I bit the corner of my lip. “Even worse, I believe that Benjamin knew his killer. Which makes this murder even more disturbing.”
David held up his hand. “Wait a minute. What makes you think that a stranger wasn’t behind this?”
“To start, the front door wasn’t even locked. So, with no signs of forced entry, I find myself wondering if Benjamin might have unwittingly let his own killer inside the house.”
David scratched his forehead. “It is odd not to see any signs of a break-in.”
“That’s not all. There’s another reason that I don’t believe a stranger is behind this,” I said.
“I’m listening.”
“I don’t know if you noticed, but Benjamin’s prized possession is still sitting on his mantle. And let me tell you, if a burglar was responsible for this murder, they definitely would have stolen Benjamin’s autographed baseball. After all, the ball is signed by Ryan Maxwell.”
“You’re right. That would have been the first thing that a burglar would have taken.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Which takes me back to my theory that someone he knew was behind this. But who?”
David stared into my eyes and saw how much pain I was in.
“Honey, take some deep breaths. Don’t think about the details of this case,” he said.
“How can I not?”
“I’m not saying it will be easy, but I need you to try.”
“But his killer is out there somewhere. I can’t just brush that aside.”
“I understand. That said, I don’t want you hyperventilating on me.”
“Right. Of course.” I focused on my breathing, doing my best to calm myself down.
That became a lot more difficult to do when Benjamin’s brother arrived at the house, looking completely bewildered.
Chapter Seven
Vincent Maddox had long brown hair, hazel eyes, a full beard, and a muscular build. The thirty-eight-year-old parked his green sedan in front of the house and got out of his vehicle. As he watched the police activity taking place in front of him, he was in complete shock.
Vincent’s voice cracked as he spoke. “What’s going on here?”
“Mr. Maddox. I was going to call you. I’m afraid I have some bad news for you,” David said.
Vincent’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? Why are all these cop cars here? Is my brother in trouble?”
“Not exactly.”
“I’m confused then.” Vincent’s facial expression changed when he spotted the forensics van. His eyes widened. “Wait a minute. Why is forensics here?”
“I can explain,” David said.
“I hope so. I’m really worried. I’ve been trying to call my brother, but he hasn’t picked up his phone,” Vincent said. “That’s why I rushed over here. To see if everything was okay.”
“I hate to tell you this, but something
terrible has happened to your brother,” David said.
“How terrible?”
“There is no easy way to say this, so I’ll just come out with it. Your brother is dead.”
Vincent shook his head. “No. That can’t be.”
“I’m afraid it’s the truth,” David said.
“I don’t understand. He’s gone? He’s really…” Vincent became too emotional to finish his sentence.
“I’m so sorry,” David said.
“How did he die?”
“This is where things get even worse. He was murdered.”
Vincent’s jaw dropped. “No. That can’t be.”
David stared at Vincent with sympathetic eyes. “You have my deepest sympathies.”
Vincent took a few moments to process his emotions. When he finally opened his mouth again, he had a question for David.
“Do you have any idea who did this?” Vincent asked.
“We are exploring a number of possibilities,” David said.
Vincent got very emotional again. “You need to find the killer. Whoever is responsible for this has to be put behind bars.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Good.”
“Speaking of, you might be able to help with that,” David said.
Vincent’s eyebrows knitted. “Me?”
David nodded.
“How?” Vincent asked.
“Do you know anyone who wanted to harm your brother?” David asked.
Vincent didn’t hesitate with his response, “I can actually think of a few people.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He’s been having some problems recently.”
David pulled out a pad of paper and a pen from his pocket. “With who?”
“His ex-girlfriend, for starters.”
My eyes widened. “Ex? Since when is Linda Kingston his ex-girlfriend?”
“Since he broke up with her the other day,” Vincent said.
“I didn’t realize they were no longer a couple,” I said.
“My brother wasn’t exactly publicizing it,” Vincent said.
David put his hand up. “Let me interject here. Did Benjamin break up with Linda? Or was it the other way around?”
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