Cozy Creek

by K M Morgan

  Gary turned his attention to the bottom of the driveway, where he saw Daisy and Crumple approaching him.

  The smile that had been on Gary’s face instantly faded away.

  “That’s not the phrasing I would go with,” Gary replied. “Are you two following me?”

  Crumple shook his head. “No.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “We actually came over here to talk to Vikki, but now that we have discovered that you two are an item, we have some additional questions to ask you.”

  “I don’t have anything else to say to you.”

  Daisy shook her head in disbelief. “Do you really think you can blow us off like that?”

  Gary glared at her. “Who I date is none of your business.”

  “It is when she happens to be a woman that your father recently fired,” Daisy replied.

  Detective Crumple piggybacked on Daisy’s point. “Speaking of, that must have put you in a really unpleasant position, being caught between your dad and your girlfriend.”

  Daisy could tell that Gary wanted to lash out, but he managed to find some restraint.

  Gary kept his answer short. “I already told you, I have nothing else to say.”

  Crumple kept pressing. “That’s okay. We can read between the lines. You and Vikki obviously worked things out, or you wouldn’t still be together. But did you ever get over what your dad did to your girlfriend?”

  Gary called the detective out. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

  “I’m trying to uncover the truth,” Crumple replied.

  Gary shook his head. “No, you’re trying to get a rise out of me. Well, it’s not going to work.”

  Crumple didn’t give up. “Gary, these are simple questions. Why is it so hard for you to answer them?”

  Gary tried to shut the detective down. “I already told you that I didn’t kill my father.”

  Crumple powered on. “Why should I believe that? We have already established that you don’t have anyone to verify your story. Now we discover that you have an even stronger motive than before.”

  Gary narrowed his eyes. “You still don’t have anything on me. You know it, and I know it. That’s why I’m out of here.”

  Gary got into his car, ready to speed away.

  Crumple issued him a warning first. “Go ahead and leave, but know this—I have my eyes on you. Don’t think about leaving town.”

  Gary put his car in reverse and drove away.

  Crumple wasn’t about to let him get far without making sure he was under surveillance. The detective grabbed his police radio and called for a patrol car to tail Gary. Luckily, there was one in the area.

  When Crumple was secure in the knowledge that a squad car was keeping tabs on Gary’s movements, the detective turned his focus back to Vikki.

  ***

  As Detective Crumple knocked on Vikki Allen’s front door, his expectations were low. It had been a frustrating day, and signs pointed to that trend continuing. Even Daisy’s keen investigative mind had not yielded any jaw-dropping revelations. While the sleuths prayed that their luck would change, they did not hold their breath.

  After a few knocks, Vikki came to the door. Adam Mitchell’s former campaign manager was a curvy, thirty-six-year-old woman who wore yoga pants and a blue tank top and had her dirty-blond hair pulled back into a ponytail.

  At that point during the investigation, Crumple had little interest in pleasantries. Perhaps a little too little. The detective took the “bull in the China shop approach.” Before Vikki was even able to get a word out, Crumple held up his police badge and made it clear he was there to discuss Adam’s death.

  “I’m very sorry about what happened to Adam,” Vikki replied.

  Crumple shot off a quick accusation. “Really? Even though he fired you?”

  Daisy grimaced at the way the detective was approaching the interview. If she had been in charge, she would have gone about it differently. Not that Daisy was known for tact or subtlety when dealing with murder suspects, but Crumple was being so forceful that he risked making Vikki clam up before she revealed any useful information to them.

  It was clear that Crumple’s patience was nonexistent and that the detective’s sour attitude was partially a carryover from the bitter way their previous interview with Gary had ended. That being said, they were interrogating a completely different subject.

  Crumple had to find a way to compartmentalize his emotions a little better, or they would be leaving Vikki’s place completely empty-handed.

  Surprisingly, it was Vikki who managed to keep a level head. “Just because I stopped working for him didn’t mean that I wanted him to die.”

  Vikki may have lost her job as a campaign manager, but she certainly had not lost her political savvy. There was enough spin in her last reply to make Crumple’s eyes roll to the back of his head.

  The detective was in no mood to listen to Vikki twist the truth around.

  “You didn’t just stop working for him. We know he fired you,” Crumple snapped.

  Vikki remained as calm as ever. “That still didn’t mean that I wanted him dead.”

  “People have been murdered over less,” Crumple said.

  “I didn’t murder him,” Vikki replied.

  The battering-ram approach wasn’t working. Vikki was unfazed by the detective’s intimidation tactics.

  Daisy could tell that it was time for some fresh questions. She knew just the one to start with. “How are your job prospects?”

  “Fine,” Vikki replied.

  Every time Daisy heard that response, she believed that the opposite was true. Vikki’s reply just seemed to be more spin that she was trying to peddle as the truth.

  Daisy dug deeper. “Do you have a job now?”

  “I am entertaining a few offers.”

  “From what companies?”

  “Let’s just say that I have some feelers out.”

  Daisy couldn’t believe how vague Vikki was managing to be. At the same time, with each question she asked, Daisy felt like she was inching closer to the truth.

  “Why are you having such a hard time answering simple questions?” Daisy asked.

  Vikki answered with a question of her own. “Why do you keep digging for something that isn’t there?”

  “Do you want to know what I think?”

  Vikki clearly didn’t. She let out a sigh as she put her hands on her hips. “It sounds like you’re going to tell me anyway.”

  Daisy pressed on. “You have had a much harder time of finding a job than you are letting on, especially after the way you were fired. I know you advised him not to admit to having an affair with Hailey Bennett. He disagreed with you, came clean about the affair, then saw his poll numbers climb.”

  Vikki’s exasperation began to build. “We don’t have to rehash those points. I know what happened. I was there.”

  Vikki had given Daisy a small opening, but she was determined to take it.

  “What’s the matter? Is talking about it a sore spot for you?” Daisy asked.

  “Not as sore as you seem to think.”

  Daisy didn’t give up. “I’m just saying that it’s no surprise that you have had trouble finding another job. It doesn’t bode well for your prospects when your last employer proved that he could run his campaign better without you than with you.”

  “I’ll get another job.”

  “That’s what you’d like us to believe.”

  Vikki’s frustrations were really starting to boil over now. “What do you want from me?”

  Crumple inserted himself back into the conversation. “The answer to this question—where were you last night between seven and eight o’clock?”

  “I was here,” Vikki replied.

  “With your boyfriend?” Crumple asked.

  Vikki tensed up.

  Crumple applied more pressure on her. “That’s right. We know you and Gary Mitchell are together.”

  “By the way, how d
id Adam feel about you dating his son?” Daisy asked.

  “He was fine with it,” Vikki replied.

  “Didn’t things get a little tense after he fired you?” Crumple asked.

  “No,” Vikki said.

  Crumple scoffed. “Do you really expect us to believe that?”

  “Yes,” Vikki replied.

  Vikki’s answers were getting shorter and shorter as her nonchalance disappeared. She looked like she was coming to the end of her rope.

  “Back to last night. Were you and Gary together, then?” Daisy asked.

  “No,” Vikki replied.

  Daisy was surprised by that answer. She thought for sure that she could catch Vikki in a lie. Since Daisy wasn’t able to, she took another stab at getting a rise out of Vikki.

  “Were you alone, then?” Daisy asked.

  Vikki was reluctant to answer.

  When the conversation fell silent for a few seconds, Crumple spoke up.

  “Were you?” Crumple asked.

  Vikki finally replied, “Yes.”

  “That means you have no one to verify your story,” Crumple said.

  “It’s not a story. It’s the truth,” Vikki replied.

  “Why didn’t you see Gary last night? Did you two get into a fight yesterday afternoon?”

  Vikki shook her head. “No. Gary told me that he’d had a long day at work, so he was going to go to the gym then call it an early night. That was fine by me because The Ideal Suitor was on last night, which I know he hates.”

  The Ideal Suitor was a popular reality dating television show that Daisy didn’t find nearly as entertaining as other people seemed to. That detail didn’t catch Daisy’s attention as much as another one did.

  “Did Gary tell you why it had been such a long day at work?” Daisy asked.

  Vikki was dismissive. “He has just been putting in a lot of hours lately. That’s all.”

  Crumple stared Vikki down. “So that’s the story you are sticking with? Gary went off to the gym while you stayed home and watched The Ideal Suitor?”

  Vikki had heard enough. She folded her arms and snapped at the detective. “You can ask me the same question in as many different ways as you want, but my answer is not going to change.”

  Daisy and Crumple didn’t give up there. They kept peppering Vikki with questions. But, just as she had said, Vikki’s story didn’t change. Finally, when the investigators felt like they had reached the point of diminishing returns, they left Vikki’s house and let her go about her day.

  Chapter Eleven

  Questioning murder suspects was never easy, but rarely were they as hard as what was on tap for Daisy next. Without a doubt, a cloud of suspicion hung over the mayor. At the same time, Daisy and Walter Redmond didn’t exactly have the best history. She was not looking forward to speaking with the mayor again. It was with that discomfort that she and Crumple headed over to the Redmond residence.

  Daisy fully expected that the mayor would not be home. She was right. That suited her just fine, mostly because it allowed her to talk to the mayor’s wife without interference from her husband. Daisy and the detective had a brief but fruitful chat with Kelly Redmond then drove across town to pay Walter a visit at city hall.

  ***

  As Daisy and Crumple approached the mayor’s wiry female executive assistant, Daisy was happy to have the detective at her side. Daisy was known for having the gift of gab, but she couldn’t think of any words that would have gotten her into that office alone. Luckily, she didn’t have to. Crumple’s police badge had a way of opening doors. This time was no exception.

  After a brief hesitation, the mayor’s assistant reluctantly led Daisy and Crumple into the mayor’s office, where Walter Redmond sat behind a mahogany desk, talking on the phone. When Walter spotted Daisy, he did not look happy to see her again.

  The mayor whispered into the phone, “I’ll call you back.” He then hung up the phone and sneered at Daisy and the detective.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” Walter asked.

  For a man who was known for being bumbling, Crumple surprisingly managed to keep his cool in the face of the mayor’s intimidation tactics. The detective held his police badge out again and powered on.

  “Mr. Mayor, we need to ask you some questions,” Crumple replied.

  “We? What’s Daisy doing here? She’s an interior decorator. And an overpriced one at that,” Walter snapped.

  He just had to get that dig in, didn’t he? It was completely unnecessary. Not to mention untrue. Daisy had to make a point not to let that wisecrack rattle her.

  She also wasn’t about to let the mayor’s remark slide. “You should spend a little less time worrying about me and a little more time worrying about yourself.”

  That only outraged Walter further. “How dare you come in here and talk to me like that.”

  “Mr. Mayor, there are some serious issues to discuss. Let’s not get bogged down talking about Ms. McDare,” Crumple said.

  Walter’s attitude did not improve. “I just don’t know why she’s here. For that matter, I don’t know why you are here, either.”

  “Ms. McDare is helping me out with a case. Now can we get down to business?” Crumple asked.

  Walter shook his head in disbelief. “This is ridiculous.”

  The detective tried to talk some sense into Walter. “Mr. Mayor, there are much more important matters that require our attention. Our time would be better spent discussing them.”

  Walter continued to be argumentative. “What is this case you are investigating?”

  “The murder of your political opponent,” Crumple replied.

  The mayor’s temper got shorter and shorter. “If you’re investigating Adam’s murder, then why are you wasting your time talking to me?”

  “Obviously, because we do not believe it is a waste of time.”

  “It is. I don’t have anything to say about the matter.”

  That answer seemed pretty callous, even coming from a political rival.

  Daisy felt the need to address the mayor’s lack of sympathy. “Not even to offer your condolences?”

  Walter backtracked when he realized how cold his behavior made him look. “I thought my condolences were obvious.”

  Daisy wasn’t about to let him get off that easy. “They didn’t look very obvious to me.”

  “No one asked you,” Walter snapped.

  With the pettiness continuing, this interview had the danger of going off the rails in a hurry.

  Before the conversation unraveled any further, Detective Crumple wanted to make sure that he got an answer to the most important question that was on his mind.

  “Mr. Mayor, where were you last night between seven and eight o’clock?” Crumple asked.

  Walter jumped on the defensive. “Oh, no you don’t. I’m not going to let you come into my office and accuse me of murder.”

  “I didn’t accuse you of anything. I just asked you a simple question. You’re the one jumping to conclusions,” Crumple replied.

  Daisy added some pressure of her own. “What’s the matter, Walter? Do you have a guilty conscience?”

  The mayor lashed out at Daisy. “Why don’t you go back to interior decorating?”

  The detective tried to stop the mayor from derailing the interview any further. “Why don’t you just answer the question?”

  Walter responded with outrage again. “You have no right to come in here and ask me that.”

  Crumple corrected him. “I have every right to do that. Frankly, I don’t know why you are being so confrontational, unless you have something to hide.”

  At last, Walter finally gave in and answered the question. “I was here in my office.”

  Daisy was baffled as to why the mayor had put up such resistance when his answer was so unremarkable.

  “Working late, huh?” Crumple asked.

  “I have put in long hours every night for a while. It’s just par for the course during an election season,”
Walter replied.

  That reply jived with what Walter’s wife had told the investigators. Kelly had confirmed that her husband had not been at home during that timeframe. That being said, Walter’s answer didn’t put him completely in the clear.

  “Was anyone else working late with you?” Crumple asked.

  During the entire interview, Walter had not been shy about his opinions. Suddenly, that changed. The mayor fell completely silent, like his mouth had been sewn shut. Not only did that come off as peculiar, but it also looked highly suspicious.

  Crumple tried to prod Walter. “Mr. Mayor.”

  Walter took a deep breath then stared the detective down. “I didn’t kill Adam.”

  Daisy read between the lines. “I guess that means you were working alone, then.”

  “I had no reason to want Adam dead,” Walter said.

  Daisy disagreed. “On the contrary, you had every reason to want him dead. He was beating you badly in the polls.”

  “That’s not a reason to kill someone,” Walter argued.

  “I have seen people die over less,” Daisy said.

  “I’m a mayor, not a murderer.”

  “Maybe in order to stay mayor of Cozy Creek, you figured that you’d have to resort to murder.”

  Walter shot Daisy a glare then admonished Crumple. “See, this is why you can’t let an interior decorator tag along on a murder investigation. They say crazy stuff like that.”

  The detective ignored the mayor’s scolding and brought an earlier topic back into the spotlight. “Mr. Mayor, you never did answer my previous question.”

  Walter scrunched his nose. “What are you talking about?”

  “Is there anyone who can verify your alibi?” Crumple asked.

  “I told you, I was working in my office at the time of the murder.”

  “You mentioned that, but you haven’t told me if there is anyone who can confirm that you are telling the truth.”

  “I don’t need anyone to confirm that. I’m the mayor. You can trust me.”

  Daisy scoffed and threw a wisecrack the mayor’s way. “Because politicians are known for being truthful, right?”

  Walter glared long and hard at Daisy.