Powdered Grape & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 29

by Susan Gillard

  Calling it Murder

  “What movie should we watch tonight?” Lilly asked.

  “Why don’t you and Nicolas choose one while we clean up dinner?”

  “Do you need any help?” Nicolas asked.

  “No,” Heather assured him. “We’ll take care of this. You two start planning the fun for later.”

  “Besides,” Amy added. “We want to talk about a case a little before the movie night.”

  Lilly and Nicolas nodded. They headed towards the living room of the Shepherd house to pick the movie. Cupcake the kitten bounded off after the children. If she couldn’t help them choose a movie, she would do some climbing.

  Dave, the dog, felt more conflicted. He stared at the children and adults he loved. In the end, he decided to stay where the food plates were – just in case, some scraps had been overlooked and could be handed to him.

  “I know what you’re up to, pup,” Heather said. “But the sink is going to wash these plates. Not your tongue.”

  He wagged his tail as if he doubted her sincerity.

  Heather patted her dog on the head and started bringing the dinner plates to the kitchen. Ryan, Amy, and Jamie helped her.

  “If you’re going to discuss a case, do I need to disappear?” Jamie joked. “Or can I help with it?”

  “You’re welcome to stay,” Amy said. “And we can discuss the case or something else you want to talk about. If there is something that you want to talk about.”

  “Like what?” asked Jamie.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Amy said, sounding a little too casual as she handed him a plate. “Have you seen anyone exciting in town? Any friends drop by for a visit?”

  Jamie avoided eye contact and focused on clearing the table. “No. There are no exciting friends in town. And nothing could be more exciting than one of your investigations. I better let you talk about it. But I’ll let you know if detect any clues in the retelling.”

  With hands full, he hurried to the kitchen. Amy shared a look with Heather. He was acting a tad suspicious. Maybe Amy was right this time about Josh being in town for a secret reason. Maybe it even did have to do a proposal.

  “Well,” Heather said, continuing the conversation. “I suppose the first thing to discuss is whether this technically even is a case. Ryan and Peters seemed to be leaning towards an accidental death earlier.”

  “Of course, that was before we talked to the victim’s friend and she told us how Teresa didn’t like heights. She doesn’t think that her friend would have leaned over the edge of the balcony for any reason.”

  “That makes it sound like she was pushed,” Jamie said, adding his two cents.

  “It sounds like it to me too,” said Heather.

  “And I’m leaning that way too,” Ryan agreed. “The medical examiner didn’t find evidence of trauma besides what was caused from the fall.”

  “Meaning she wasn’t pushed?” asked Amy. She let a bowl droop as she thought about this in confusion. Dave was grateful and lapped up the spill.

  “It means that she wasn’t injured before the fall,” said Ryan. “She wasn’t strangled or hit over the head. It is still possible that someone helped her lose her balance. This killer just didn’t leave marks on the body.”

  “Sounds like a smart killer,” said Jamie.

  Heather nodded. “Because we almost considered this an accident, I’d have to agree. And that’s just going to make our job harder.”

  They finished clearing the table. Heather filled the dishwasher. She gave Dave a piece of leftover chicken, justifying that it was healthier for him than the bites of donut that were truly his favorite snacks.

  Jamie winked when he saw that. “Our dog will be disappointed that she wanted to snooze instead of coming to dinner if Dave gets such treats.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Heather said, pretending she hadn’t been caught.

  She began washing the few dishes that didn’t fit in the dishwasher and her friends helped. It was nice that they were so comfortable with one another that they could help with the chores.

  As she handed a pot to Ryan, she asked, “What is it that makes you lean towards murder now?”

  “Was it our amazing detection after talking to the victim’s friend?” asked Amy. “We did ask some pretty good questions. And went through a lot of napkins.”

  “It was actually something else that the medical examiner found,” said Ryan.

  Heather stopped scrubbing to look at him. “What was it?”

  “There was a small piece of black fabric found in her hand,” said Ryan. “And Teresa Ray wasn’t wearing any black in her outfit.”

  “You think it belonged to the killer?” asked Heather.

  Ryan nodded. “This is the first piece of evidence that points to another person being on the roof at the time of her fall. I think that she tried to grab onto this person as she fell and managed to take a piece of the cloth with her.”

  “Can you trace this cloth?” Heather asked.

  “Peters is looking into that,” said Ryan. “And I think tomorrow when I start questioning suspects and guests at the hotel I’ll see who has a rip in a black shirt or jacket.”

  “When you said I, did you really mean we?” Amy asked.

  “I would love your help,” Ryan said, agreeing.

  Heather smiled. She was looking forward to the movie night with her family that evening, and she was looking forward to finding some answers in the morning.

  The Other Guests

  The next morning, Heather and Amy joined Ryan and Detective Peters as they returned to the Seaview Hotel. Toni admitted them into her office and sat in her seat dumbfounded.

  “The only thing crazier to hear than a terrible accident happening in my hotel is that a murder happened here.”

  “We are investigating it as such,” Ryan said. “We found some evidence to suggest that there was someone else on the balcony with her.”

  “I wish I had cameras on the balcony,” Toni said, sighing. “I never thought there was a reason before. There’s nothing to steal up there unless you’re taking a large potted plant down the stairs or elevator. And I thought the railing was safe. Maybe I’ll install some cameras now. But this better not happen again.”

  “Do you have cameras anywhere else in the building?” Heather asked.

  “There’s a camera in the main lobby, and you can see if anyone is headed toward the safe in that view. But that’s it.”

  Toni leaned back in her chair, frowning. Heather took a moment to look around the office. There were pictures on the wall of the tropics that matched the scenic views outside. However, all the paperwork on the desk looked disorderly. Toni didn’t appear to be the tidiest person in the world. Her office reflected her style. It cared more about comfort than appearance.

  “What can you tell us about Teresa Ray?” Peters asked. “Had she come to your establishment before?”

  “No,” Toni said. “She and her friends just came to Key West for the first time. They decided on my hotel because I was offering the best deal in town. I have a good deal about adjoining rooms.”

  “And who are these two friends?” Ryan asked.

  Toni shuffled some papers and then looked on her computer. “Their names are Marigold Mayer and Jess McKish. They checked in Saturday. That was a good day for business. I’m not sure what I’m going to do now. And it’s not because you closed off my balcony. It’s because people don’t want to stay where someone died. Unless it was a haunted hotel sort of thing, but my Seaview Hotel is supposed to have more of a relaxation theme. People are already leaving.”

  “Leaving,” Ryan said.

  “Yeah. A few people checked out already. Some guests have asked to be moved from the fifth floor to a lower level. And I guess I can now because reservations are being canceled because of the death. I mean, murder. But I guess not everyone knows it’s a murder yet.”

  “Miss Ingalls, we’re going to have to get a copy of your guest log
,” Ryan said. “And now that this is considered a murder case, we need to talk to every guest before they leave.”

  “That’s true,” Heather said. “We don’t want the killer to check out and leave Key West without being brought to justice.”

  “You think it had to be another guest here?” Toni asked.

  “We just don’t want anyone leaving when they might be a potential suspect,” said Ryan. “But a guest would have easy access to the balcony.”

  “Could non-guests have access to it?” Heather asked.

  “Well,” Toni said. “Guests have keys to the rooms, so you’d have to be a guest or employee to get into a room. However, during the day, I suppose someone could come in through the lobby and head upstairs. We do have a concierge who will talk to people, but she had to go home early the day of the fall because her daughter was sick. I was manning the desk. But I suppose I can get distracted. If someone wanted to, they could probably have snuck by me.”

  “Can you get us that guest list?” Ryan repeated.

  “Of course,” Toni said. She typed on her computer and began printing a document. “This will list everyone who was checked in at the time of the fall. I hope it helps. I want this fixed as soon as can be.”

  “Thank you,” Ryan said, looking over the document.

  “Did you notice Teresa interacting with any of the other guests?” Heather asked.

  “Anyone who might have felt a bit pushy?” asked Amy.

  “Actually, I did get a complaint,” Toni said. She looked at some notes. “Yes. The man in the room next to Teresa Ray’s group called to complain that they were being noisy. That was on Sunday.”

  “The day before the murder,” said Amy. “Suspicious timing.”

  “But is being noisy a reason to kill someone?” Heather pondered.

  “I don’t know,” Toni said. “But he did call to complain three times. My night staff had to go up and stop him from yelling at them.”

  “We will speak to him,” Ryan said. “Did you know if Teresa Ray had any problems with anyone else here.”

  “Her friends seemed a little cranky when they checked in, but I assumed it was jet lag and not to do with her,” said Toni.

  “Did you get to know her well while she was staying here?” Heather asked.

  Toni shook her head. “She was busy being on vacation. I didn’t talk to her group much except when I checked them in. And to her friend about how there was no breakfast on Monday morning. Luckily, we have donuts now. Thanks for bringing them again. Oh, I should write you that check.”

  “It seems a little odd to be given a check when asking questions about murder,” Heather said. “Why don’t you give it to us at the end of the week when we finish catering. Hopefully, we’ll have this solved by then.”

  Toni nodded, and the investigators left her office. Ryan was already looking over the guest list, and Heather was eager to take a peek. It might turn out to be a suspect list.

  Discussing the Fall

  Heather swung by Donut Delights to make sure that her assistants were handling the surge in customers. They were serving them admirable and kept the display counter stocked with tasty treats.

  She packed up some Powdered Grape Donuts and headed to the police station with Amy. They wanted to discuss the facts in the case so far. This way they could figure out the proper plan of attack for finding the killer.

  Bringing the donuts was both good for their morale and a way to bring a smile to the police chief’s face. The laid-back Chief Chet loved her donuts and trying her new weekly flavors. Heather was happy to keep him happy. He allowed Heather and Amy to assist with the investigations, and he was the father of Lilly’s best friend on the island. Both were reasons to deserve a treat.

  Today was no exception. Chief Chet hurried over as soon as he learned there were fresh donuts in the station. He greeted them and selected his snack.

  “These donuts are delicious,” he said after the first bite. “The only downside, and it’s not really a downside, is that I’m going to have to lick all this sugar off my hands, so I don’t leave fingerprints around the station. Speaking of fingerprints, did you find any at the crime scene?”

  Ryan took a step forward as the conversation switched from baked goods to murder. Detective Peters had his notebook out as well to discuss the clues found so far.

  “We’re analyzing the prints found on the balcony,” said Ryan. “But it is a public area that’s open to the elements. We’re not sure that it will lead to anything.”

  “We’re more excited about the piece of cloth found in the victim’s hand as a clue,” said Peters.

  “I’d like to hear more about that,” said Heather. “I know we think it came from the killer’s clothes. Can we narrow it down some more so that it will lead to the killer?”

  “The early test results say it’s a common blend for clothing,” said Peters. “That would make it hard to find the killer based on looking at everyone who bought an article of clothing with that blend.”

  “It might even include us as suspects,” Amy said. “Though I usually like to wear something brighter than black. Something more colorful. To match my personality.”

  Heather smiled at her friend, and then turned back to Peters, hoping that his train of thought included a “but.”

  “But,” Ryan said, and Heather was pleased. “The fabric had some chemicals on it. Most likely from being cleaned. If we find a black piece of clothing belonging to a suspect, we could test it to see if it matches the sample.”

  “That’s something,” Chief Chet said, before picking up another donut. “Of course, you’ll have to find a good suspect first.”

  “And hope that the killer didn’t clean out their closet,” said Amy.

  “To determine suspects, I think we do need to talk to both of Teresa Ray’s friends. Marigold seemed very distraught about what happened to her friend,” said Heather.

  “Though we have been encountering some good actors lately,” said Amy.

  “True. And Toni did mention that her friends were cranky when they checked in. Maybe there were some problems between them all when they arrived,” said Heather. “Or maybe the other friend Jess McKish knows of someone who could have wanted to hurt Teresa Ray.”

  “I want to look into the argument with the guest in the room next to them,” Peters said. “This might not have been a premeditated murder. Maybe the argument continued on the balcony, and he pushed her.”

  “I’ll run the names of the guests on the list to see if anything suspicious pops up,” said Ryan. “But then I think we should all talk to all the guests at the hotel. We spoke to some of them when we thought this was an accident. We’ll see if anyone has anything more to add now that we know it’s murder.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” said Heather. “Especially if guests are trying to check out already.”

  “I can’t say I completely blame them,” said Amy. “I wouldn’t want to sleep near where I knew someone died.”

  “And you might not want to share a hotel with a murderer,” Heather agreed. “But we don’t want that murderer to check out early.”

  “It sounds like you’re on top of this case,” Chief Chet said. “Why don’t I take these donuts to the break room and let you continue your hard work?”

  They agreed, and Chief Chet wandered away.

  “He is headed to his office and not the break room, isn’t he?” Amy asked.

  Peters nodded.

  “I think I’d like to talk to Teresa Ray’s third friend first,” said Heather. “I feel like she might have some information.”

  “You and Amy, go ahead,” said Ryan. “Peters and I will start with the people who want to check out and leave town so we can see if dismiss any of them.”

  “There probably are many guests who never had any interaction with the victim,” said Peters.

  “When you talk to the friends, ask them to doublecheck that we took all of Teresa Ray’s personal effects,” said Ryan.
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  “You took all of her things from her hotel room?” Heather asked.

  Ryan nodded. “We wanted to eliminate suicide as a potential scenario. The balcony was the crime scene and not the room she shared. We brought her belongings here to check, and we’ll return them to her family when we are finished.”

  “She didn’t have any black clothes that were missing a spot, did they?” asked Heather.

  “No,” Ryan said. “She favored another color scheme. Most of her clothes were purple.”

  “Oh,” Amy said, sadly. She placed an arm on Heather. “She really would have loved your donuts.”

  For some reason, this hit Heather emotionally. She was determined to catch the killer.

  The Adjoining Room

  “Can I help you?” Jess McKish asked through her hotel room door.

  “We hope so. I’m Heather Shepherd, and this is Amy Givens. We’re private investigators assisting the Key West Police in determining what happened to Teresa Ray.”

  They heard the lock on the door being turned, and it swung open slowly. The short young woman with long hair there invited them in.

  “I guess it’s good that they have a lot of people working on this,” Jess said. “It didn’t seem to make sense. I’m not sure if that’s because I don’t want to believe my friend is dead. And that I was no help at all when it happened. Or I there’s something about it that doesn’t make sense.”

  “When we spoke to Marigold, she said that Teresa wasn’t a fan of heights,” said Heather.

  “That’s right,” Jess agreed. “She wasn’t terrified of them, but she avoided looking down when she was up high whenever she could. It made hanging shelves in out apartment difficult. She hated being on the ladder.”

  “You and Teresa were roommates?” asked Heather.

  “That’s right,” Jess said, taking a seat on a bench. Amy opted to sit on the bed and take out her tablet to take notes, while Heather remained standing.