Caramel Cream & Murder_An Oceanside Cozy Mystery Book 31

by Susan Gillard

  They waved at him, and the trio met up together. Then they headed over to James Meeson’s door and knocked.

  A young man with slicked back hair greeted them. “Hello?”

  Ryan introduced the investigators and James held the door open to admit them. He led them into his living room, where they could talk. He took a seat in the recliner. Heather and Ryan sat on the couch. This left Amy to sit on a beanbag chair.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to upgrade my furniture.”

  “Yeah,” Amy said. “Maybe you can do that after you get your tip money too.”

  “What’s that?” James asked, looking a little nervous.

  “Just something that Tanya said,” explained Amy. “She also mentioned changing her furniture. Of course, I wasn’t so low on the ground in her house. I guess this is comfortable though.”

  “I don’t want to make the people investigating a murder uncomfortable,” he said. “Do you want this chair?”

  “No,” Amy said. “It might take me a while to get up from here. Let’s just ask our questions.”

  “What did you want to ask?” said James.

  “Where were you last night?” asked Heather.

  “I came home after work,” said James. “Unfortunately, I live alone.”

  “Coming home seems to be a common theme,” said Amy. “And it’s hard for most of them to prove.”

  “How did Chris get along with everyone at the bistro?” asked Ryan.

  “Great,” said James. “He was really easy to get along with.”

  “Do you know why Chris might have been outside the bistro in the middle of the night?” asked Heather.

  James rubbed his chin. “It seemed like he was outside the bistro at odd hours sometimes. One day when I was walking home from a bar, I passed the bistro to show a friend where I worked. Chris was there. It looked like he was waiting for someone.”

  “Any idea who?”

  “No,” James said. “Now that he’s been killed, I can imagine suspicious reasons for him being there. But at the time, I thought he was just waiting to see his girlfriend.”

  “What do you know about his girlfriend?” asked Heather.

  “Her name is Ellie Kay. I saw her visit him once or twice. Their relationship seemed a little strained to me, but I didn’t say anything.”

  “What do you mean by strained?” asked Ryan.

  “She always looked like she was annoyed with him when I saw them together. Maybe I imagined things. But she would give him this angry look and then try to play it off like she was doing something else. Looking in her purse. Or adjusting the barrette in her hair.”

  “His girlfriend wore barrettes?” Amy asked. She was so excited she tried to get up from the beanbag, but it managed to pull her back down.

  James thought about it and then nodded. “Every time I saw her she was wearing one. Why? Is that important?”

  “Possibly,” Ryan said.

  “You don’t think she could have killed him, do you?” James asked.

  “Do you think it’s possible?” Heather asked, turning the question around.

  “Well, maybe,” said James. “As I said, something about their relationship seemed off. But I never would have guessed it would have led to murder. I guess it’s possible that he could have been waiting for her outside the bistro. Maybe that’s who he was waiting for.”

  Heather was very interested in tracking down Ellie Kay and asking her about her barrette and her whereabouts on the night of the murder. However, first, she needed to help Amy get back on her feet. She grabbed her friend’s hand and pulled her out of the beanbag.

  The Girlfriend

  Back at the police station, Heather was excited about their next interrogation. It finally looked like their case was pointing to a suspect. If there were problems with Chris and Ellie’s relationship, it could be the motive for murder. It might not have been planned, but Ellie could have grabbed a brick and swung it at her boyfriend in a fit of rage. That could have been how she lost her barrette.

  Amy joined her with two Caramel Cream Donuts as they waited for the suspect to be escorted in. She handed one to her bestie.

  “Do you feel good about this one?” Amy asked.

  “Do you mean the suspect or the donut?” Heather said with a smile.

  “I know you feel good about the donut,” said Amy. “What do you think of the suspect?”

  “She’s the first person who seems to have a potential motive. But we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. We should hear what she has to say before we jump to any conclusions.”

  They ate their donuts, thinking of potential questions that they wanted to ask. Chief Chet joined them long enough to snag a donut, and then Ryan and Peters returned to the station with Ellie Kay.

  She had long hair held back with a pink barrette and a sour look on her face. She entered the interrogation room and sat down at the table without saying a word. Heather and Amy joined the detectives across from her.

  “Thank you for coming in to speak with us, Miss Kay,” Ryan said.

  “Like I had much choice,” she said. “You would have thought I killed him if I didn’t agree.”

  “It’s interesting that you’d come to that conclusion,” Ryan said. “Why would you think that? Did you have some reason why we might suspect you?”

  “You always suspect the wife or girlfriend,” Ellie said. “I saw that on TV.”

  “Me too,” said Amy. “Can we believe everything we see on TV? Is it right in this case?”

  “No,” said Ellie. “I didn’t have anything to do with his death. I didn’t even know he was dead until a few hours ago. And now here I am being questioned about it.”

  “We need to question everyone involved in his life,” Detective Peters explained. “Because we need to figure out why this happened.”

  “That’s a pretty barrette,” Heather said, changing the subject.

  “Thanks.”

  “Do you wear them often?” Heather asked.

  Ellie nodded. “I like the way they look in my hair. I have all sorts of styles and colors, depending on whether I want them to blend in or stand out. If I knew the sort of day I was going to have, I would have picked a different color when I got dressed this morning.”

  “Do you ever lose your barrettes?” Heather continued.

  “Sure,” said Ellie. “If it’s not a good brand that can hold my hair back, they can come unhooked. I’ve lost them before. There’s this one brand I’ll never buy again. They were weak.”

  Heather nodded. “I need to ask you a little more about Chris Henderson. How long have you been dating?”

  “About eight months,” said Ellie. “It was still a relatively new relationship.”

  Amy couldn’t stop herself from asking, “So, he wouldn’t have proposed to you after only a few weeks?”

  “No,” Ellie said. “And it looks like he’ll never get that chance now.”

  “Was it a good relationship?” asked Ryan.

  “It was fine,” said Ellie.

  “That doesn’t sound like something you’d say when a relationship is fine,” Amy noted.

  “We heard that things might have been strained between you two,” said Peters.

  “Where did you hear that?” Ellie snapped.

  “From a witness,” Ryan said calmly.

  Ellie sighed. “I don’t know. I thought things were fine. They weren’t great. Chris could be so charismatic. He was charming to everyone. But it never felt completely honest. I felt like he was keeping things from me and I didn’t like that.”

  “What sort of things?” asked Heather.

  “I don’t know exactly. That was the problem. But he wouldn’t always tell me where he was or where he was going. I don’t think he was seeing somebody else. But there were some strange things I noticed. He seemed to have more money than a waiter should have. But I don’t really know what he was up to.”

  “Did that make you angry?” Ryan asked.

&nb
sp; “Annoyed,” Ellie said, correcting him. “I wouldn’t have killed him over it. If it kept up, I might have left him. But I was hoping he would open up to me, and we could make it work.”

  “Ellie, did you ever visit your boyfriend at work?” asked Heather.

  “Yeah. A few times,” said Ellie. “I didn’t like to go when he was too busy, but it was nice to say hello and get something to eat.”

  “Did you ever meet him outside of Beachcomber Bistro?” Heather asked.

  “Sometimes I’d meet him after a shift. But it was a late time to start a date.”

  “What about meeting him when the bistro was closed?” asked Ryan. “Or in the middle of the night?”

  “No,” said Ellie. “Why would we meet there? That doesn’t make any sense. He would come over to my place, or I would go to his. We wouldn’t go his job. Especially when it was closed and we couldn’t get something to eat.”

  “Do you have any idea what he might have been doing there?” asked Heather.

  “No,” Ellie said. “Maybe it’s tied to the secrets he was keeping from me. Because I don’t understand why he’d be there.”

  “Part of the reason why we were asking this is because a barrette was found behind the restaurant and there was a hair that resembles yours found on it,” said Ryan.

  “I don’t know how it would have gotten there,” said Ellie. “Unless Chris was holding onto it for some reason.”

  “Why would he do that?” asked Amy.

  “I don’t know. Maybe he found it and was going to give it back to me?” suggested Ellie.

  “Maybe the killer dropped it when she killed Christ Henderson?” suggested Ryan.

  “I didn’t kill him. And I’m not even sure the barrette is mine.”

  “You’re sure you weren’t there last night?” Peters asked again.

  “I’m sure,” Ellie said. “I wasn’t anywhere near that bistro. I was at an overnight spa, having some me time. I actually feel a little guilty about it because I was having a lovely time while Chris was getting killed. That doesn’t seem fair. But I wasn’t the one to kill him.”

  “We’ll have to check on this alibi,” said Ryan.

  “At the spa?” asked Amy. “Can I have this assignment, please?”

  “I was there,” Ellie said. “I’m not the killer. I wish I could be more help, but I can’t. The only other thing I can think of is… Well, if you’re looking for another female suspect – have you come across a Cici?”

  “Not so far,” Peters admitted.

  “What do you know about her?” asked Heather.

  “I heard Chris mention her name once. And he didn’t seem too happy about it.”

  They thanked her for her time and allowed her to go. Heather drummed her fingers on the table. Who could this new mystery woman be?

  The Arrival

  “Is everything okay, Mom?” Lilly asked.

  Heather had been hurrying around the kitchen, placing the donuts she brought home on serving trays. She must have looked far more frantic than she realized.

  “Everything is fine,” Heather assured her daughter.

  “There’s nothing wrong with a case?”

  “I am having a little trouble with our most recent case. We don’t understand why the victim was where he was,” Heather admitted. “But that’s not why I’m a little stressed. It’s because Josh’s girlfriend is arriving earlier than expected. She finished her project at work early, so she’s coming down today.”

  “This is Josh’s soon-to-be fiancée?” Lilly asked.

  “Hopefully,” Heather said. “But remember, this is supposed to be a surprise. And it’s a big secret.”

  “I know,” Lilly said. “I won’t say anything in front of her. I wouldn’t want to ruin the special moment.”

  Heather hugged her daughter and asked what she thought of her display of donuts. She had included the Caramel Cream Donuts, as well as some classic flavors. She had vanilla and chocolate, of course. She also had the Americana Donut, Ice Cream Sundae Donut, and the Key Lime Pie Donut included.

  “I think it looks pretty enough to eat,” Lilly said with a wink. “But should we ask the experts?”

  Heather nodded, and Lilly called for their pets to join them. Dave, the dog, was a huge fan of his mommy’s donuts, as his love handles were starting to prove. Heather tried not to feed him too many sweets, but he had a way of manipulating people with his puppy dog eyes. Cupcake, the kitten, also enjoyed the snacks, but she liked to bat them around on the floor before eating them.

  Both the animals appeared in the room and looked at the table where the donuts were displayed. Dave began to wag his tail, while Cupcake began climbing up on the table. Lilly intervened and grabbed the kitten before she could get into trouble.

  “I think they like them,” said Lilly.

  Dave began to bark.

  “Fine,” said Heather. “Since we called you in for your expertise, I won’t tease you. You can both have a small bite. But the rest are for when the guests arrive. Josie should be at Amy’s any minute, and then she’ll call me when it’s time to come over.”

  She gave the two animals a small bite and told Lilly that she could have one of whatever flavor she wanted when it was time to enjoy them with the guests. Lilly joked and said she would need all this time to decide which wonderful flavor to choose.

  As they waited for Amy’s call, Lilly brought her mother up to date on what was going on in school. She also admitted that she missed her best friend, Nicolas, who had returned to Texas when spring break ended. Her best friend in town, Chelsea, had also hit it off with Nicolas during his visit. The two girls planned on having a video chat with him the next night, so the three friends could stay in touch.

  Heather’s cell phone rang and Amy invited them to come up.

  Heather led the way to the house upstairs with her tray of donuts. Lilly kept Cupcake and Dave in check as they walked up.

  Amy greeted them and set the donuts on the table.

  “She seems like a nice person,” Amy said, grudgingly.

  “Good,” said Heather. “We’re excited to meet her.”

  Amy led them farther into the house where everyone was. Josh and Jamie waved at them. Miss Marshmallow walked over to sniff Dave and Cupcake. A woman with dark curly hair and large eyes smiled when she saw them enter.

  “You must be Heather,” she said, running over to her and giving her a hug. “I’m just so excited to meet you. Josh told me all about how you cleared his name.”

  “We’ve heard all about you too,” said Heather.

  Josie released her from the hug and laughed. “I’m also very excited to try those donuts I’ve heard so much about.”

  “You should be,” said Lilly. “They’re even better than could be described.”

  “You must be Lilly,” Josie said, hugging her too. “And Dave? And Cupcake?”

  She scratched both of the animal’s ears and then allowed Lilly to show her to the donut display.

  “Careful though,” said Lilly. “The animals like to beg.”

  Josh beamed at Heather. “Isn’t she great?”

  Heather nodded, and everyone went to gather around the donuts, joyfully sampling the array of flavors.

  “Lilly was right,” exclaimed Josie. “These are so good that they defy description. And do you really come up with a new flavor every week?”

  Heather nodded. “I like to experiment with new recipes. It keeps me on my toes.”

  “And everyone in town very happy,” added Amy.

  “Josh and I will have to come down more often, so we can try the new ones,” said Josie, reaching for another donut. “But there’s a lot I want to do on this trip too. I’d like to meet Eva and Leila.”

  “They live in the downstairs house adjoining Heather’s, so that shouldn’t be too hard,” said Amy. “Even if they are involved in a bingo tournament this week.”

  “And I want to see everything about the island that I can,” Josie continued. “I’v
e never been here before, and it’s so lovely. I want to see the beaches, and the art, and the tourist spots. I also want to try more of the wonderful food.”

  “This is going to be a very eventful trip,” Amy muttered.

  Heather was about to say that they could squeeze many outings into Josie’s visit when her cell phone rang. She excused herself and answered a call from Ryan. He had news about Ellie Kay’s alibi. It appeared to be airtight. The spa reported that none of its guests had left during the night.

  Heather tried not to frown as she rejoined the group. However, with no idea who CiCi was, it seemed like they were back to square one with the suspects.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Amy, who could always tell when something was bothering her bestie.

  “It was about the spa,” Heather began.

  “A spa?” asked Josie. “You guys really did plan some wonderful ideas for my visit.”

  “Oh,” Heather said. “This was in regard to a case we’re working on.”

  “But that doesn’t mean that you can’t still go there,” Josh said quickly. “I think that does sound like a lot of fun. Maybe you ladies could all go there together? Maybe in two days? While Jamie and I figure something out?”

  “Sure,” Heather said.

  “As long as,” Josh began. “I mean, this isn’t a part of the case because someone was killed there?”

  “No,” Heather assured them. “It’s providing an alibi for a suspect.”

  “Ellie Kay isn’t the killer?” asked Amy.

  Heather shook her head. “Her whereabouts are accounted for all night.”

  “I’m sorry your case is bothering you,” said Josie.

  Dave barked in sympathetic agreement.

  “I hope my visit doesn’t add to the trouble.”

  “Of course not,” said Heather, though she saw that Amy was giving her a look otherwise. “And going to the spa with you will be lovely. It might be the relaxation we need.”

  “I thought this vacation would be fun,” said Josie. “Now it seems like big fun.”

  “What did you just say?” asked Heather as an idea occurred to her.