Wild Raspberry Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 53

by Susan Gillard

  Chapter 6

  Again, Heather wished she had earplugs. Brooke had let out an impressively loud scream right next to her, and her ears were still ringing an hour later.

  “What’s going on?” Amy asked as she arrived at the crime scene and approached her bestie. “A murder at a murder mystery dinner? Couldn’t the killer have focused on the second part of that theme and brought extra entrees in instead of killing someone?”

  “I wish he did. Though I’m not sure we could stomach whatever meal was cooked up by someone capable of stabbing a man to death,” Heather said.

  “So, it was a stabbing?”

  “It looks like it,” Heather said. “Though I’m sure Ryan can tell us more after he talks to the medical examiner.”

  Amy shivered. “I’m glad I left early and didn’t find the body with you. A stabbing sounds gruesome.”

  Heather shrugged. “Murder is never pleasant,” she said. “But I am sorry you had to turn around and come right back.”

  “It’s fine. The sooner we can get to a crime scene, the better chance we have of catching the culprit quickly. And I never want the bad guy to get away.”

  “I feel the same,” Heather said appreciatively.

  “Though if a killer did want to consult our datebook and check for our plans before finishing their premeditation for a crime, I wouldn’t mind it,” Amy joked.

  Heather chuckled. “If that were the case, I’d have plans every night so no one would ever get murdered.”

  “Well, since we couldn’t stop this one from happening, we might as well start solving it,” Amy said. “What can you tell me about the case?”

  “Only that it looked like a stabbing so far. But I didn’t get a good look because I had to deal with a loud witness. The two people who arrived in the silver car are with Detective Hoskins now.”

  “Is he questioning them about what they saw? Or about what the dessert was tonight?” Amy asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Neither of the women were big fans of Ryan’s partner, but Amy was less skilled at hiding her disdain for him. Detective Hoskins generally seemed more interested in his snacking than in helping to solve a crime in a meaningful way. He had also made some sexist comments to Heather when they first worked together, but in that regard, he at least was trying to improve.

  “I’m sure he’ll get a proper statement from them,” Heather said, trying to think the best of him. “And the main reason a cop has to stay with them is because the man is determined to drive his car off. But it was found right next to the body. It’s part of the crime scene until deemed otherwise.”

  “Is it a nice car?” Amy asked.

  Amy was a fan of fast cars. They decided to move closer to the area where the murder happened, to examine both the evidence and the fancy car.

  Ryan waved them closer when he saw them approach. The body had just been taken away, and he had some time to bring them up to speed on what they had learned so far.

  Amy whistled. “That is a nice car. I can see why he wants to drive off in it so badly.”

  “Unfortunately, the victim was found right next to it,” Heather said.

  “That’s right,” Ryan said. “His name was Vinny Unger, and he was the valet parking attendant here tonight. It looks like he was stabbed to death with two or three violent blows.”

  “Terrible,” Amy said. She was trying to focus on the case, but Heather could tell her attention was divided because of the distraction of the silver sports car.

  “I couldn’t get a good look because of Brooke’s hysterics,” Heather said. “Was the murder weapon nearby?”

  “It was,” Ryan said. “A knife with blood on it was found a few yards away. We’ll test it to be sure, but it looks like the murder weapon. We got lucky in that regard.”

  “Lucky enough that there were fingerprints on it too?” Heather asked.

  “That’s pressing our luck,” Ryan said. “It looks like the handle was wiped clean.”

  “So, the killer wiped the handle, but didn’t wipe off the blood?” Amy asked, showing she was still following the conversation, even if her eyes were still on the car.

  “I guess the killer didn’t care that we knew what the murder weapon was. As long as it didn’t directly implicant him with fingerprints,” Heather said.

  “It’s also possible that the killer wore gloves,” Ryan offered.

  “That is possible,” Heather said. “I wish we were a little luckier on the prints.”

  “There may not be prints on it. But the knife does have a distinctive handle,” Ryan said. “It’s made to look like ivory and had some ornate markings. We might be able to track where this blade came from and find the killer that way.”

  “Beautiful,” Amy said. Heather wasn’t sure if she was referring the description of the knife’s design, the chance that they might be able to track down the killer with a promising clue, or the look of the car.

  “Where was the knife found?” Heather asked.

  Ryan pointed. It was in the direction of the restaurant. The killer had dropped the knife into a bush that wasn’t quite bushy enough to conceal it.

  “And the time of death had to be during the show,” Heather said. “Because he was seen working before the show started and was missing when it came time to return the cars.”

  “I saw him before the show myself,” Ryan said. “He didn’t appear nervous to me.”

  “Is there anything else here on the scene to indicate why he was murdered here? No signs of a robbery?” Heather asked.

  “No,” Ryan said. “His wallet, smartphone, his keys, and the keys to the car were all on his person. No one stole them.”

  “But why did he have the keys?” Amy asked. She turned her back on the car so she could give her full attention to the other investigators. “Was this the last car he parked, and he was attacked before he could go back to his post? Or did he come back here in the middle of the play to do something with the car?”

  “I think we have a few witnesses that we should talk to,” Heather said.

  Chapter 7

  “You were certain that your car had been stolen,” Heather said.

  “Well, it seemed like it at the time,” Elvin said. “And it still feels like it because I haven’t gotten my car back.”

  Elvin Fordham was showing a lot of attitude for someone being interrogated by two detectives and two private investigators.

  “I think it seems suspicious,” Heather said.

  “Seems suspicious to me too,” Amy agreed, playing along.

  “Definitely suspicious,” Detective Hoskins said, not sure what they were talking about, but not wanting to be left out.

  “What’s suspicious?” Elvin asked. “I have a great car. The parking guy had disappeared. I thought my car did too.”

  “Well, that’s one possibility,” Heather said. “The other is that you just wanted some witnesses with you when you discovered the body.”

  “That’s crazy,” Brooke said, weighing in on the conversation. “How would we know he was there?”

  “You did say this car was the most important thing to you,” Heather said.

  “You called it your metal four-wheeled baby,” Ryan added.

  “And believe me. I can see why,” Amy said. “That car is gorgeous. It’s like it drove right out of the pages of a magazine. It looks like a dream, and I bet it accelerates like one too.”

  “It does,” Elvin says, smiling at a fellow car lover. “But what does that have to do with the dead guy? Why would I be accusing him if I knew he was dead?”

  “Maybe to make us drive down the wrong path?” Amy suggested.

  “Vinny Unger was found with the keys on his person,” Heather said. “So, he either parked your car and was killed before he could walk back. Or he returned to your car during the show.”

  “Did you leave your seat at all during the show?” Ryan asked.

  “We both went to the restroom at one point,” Brooke said. “But we weren’t gone long.�
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  “I still don’t understand why you think I killed him,” Elvin said.

  “What if you were unsure of Vinny’s parking ability and followed him into the parking lot. You didn’t like how he changed gears, and so you killed him,” Heather suggested.

  “No,” Elvin said. “We went right into the theater. We were running late. We were probably the last ones to arrive. Brooke was afraid they weren’t going to let us in.”

  “Some shows don’t allow late seating. And I really wanted to see the show,” Brooke said. “Of course, now I think we probably should have stayed home and watched TV.”

  “You were the last two to be seated?” Heather asked.

  “Right,” Elvin said. “Even when we try to be on time, forces outside our control make us late.”

  Heather ignored the gibe and thought outloud. “If they were the last to be seated, then they were definitely the last car to be parked. Someone got to Vinny before he could get back to the restaurant.”

  “That restaurant owner mentioned that Vinny had friends in the cast,” Ryan said.

  “And all of them would have known that he would be in the parking lot at some point,” Heather said. “I think it’s time to look at their motives.”

  “Great,” Amy said. “Let’s talk to some actors.”

  Chapter 8

  Unfortunately, the whole cast had gone home after the show. The investigators realized that the innocent actors would probably be asleep or intoxicated (after celebrating a good performance), so they decided to hold their questions until the morning.

  Heather was happy that this allowed her some catch up chatting time with her daughter.

  “How was the sleepover?” Heather asked over breakfast. Lilly had eaten at Marlena’s that morning but was still finding room for one of the Wild Raspberry Donuts that Heather was enjoying with her coffee.

  “It was nice,” Lilly said. “We watched some movies.”

  “Nothing scary, I hope.”

  “Only if you’re scared of dinosaurs,” Lilly said. “I convinced her to watch my favorite, Jurassic Park, and then she showed me a princess movie that had some really catchy songs.”

  “I’m glad to hear you had fun,” Heather said. She wasn’t quite sure how to ask her next question but tried just to be straightforward. “Does Marlena seem like she is holding up okay?”

  “She’s still sad about her mom and will always miss her,” Lilly said. “But she’s watching movies and playing games again.”

  Heather nodded. Marlena’s mother had been killed somewhat recently. Heather had solved the case and caught the murderer. However, Heather thought that Lilly was doing something even more helpful. She had befriended Marlena when she needed support.

  “I think you being her friend is doing her a world of good,” Heather said.

  “Do I deserve an extra donut for it?” Lilly joked.

  Dave raised his ears at the sound of donuts being talked about. Heather’s furry white dog was a donut fanatic. He was also starting to pass this habit on to their kitten Cupcake. Both of the animals crowded around Heather’s feet, hoping she would either be inclined to give them a snack or to accidentally drop something.

  Heather looked at their pleading eyes.

  “If I give you some Wild Raspberry, is it going to turn you into wild animals?” She asked.

  “I think if you don’t give it to them, they’ll start going wild,” Lilly laughed.

  Dave barked in agreement.

  “Fine,” Heather said, relenting. “But only a little bit each. Dogs can’t have a fully donut diet.”

  Dave looked like he disagreed. He chomped up his donut snack in one gulp. Then he licked his lips to savor the taste more. Cupcake was taking more time with her snack. She was pawing her donut piece around like a soccer ball until she finally decided it was time for a goal – and popped it into her kitten mouth.

  Heather laughed at their antics. Then she cast her gaze directly at Lilly. She couldn’t give into puppy dog eyes (and kitty cat eyes too) if she wasn’t looking at them.

  “So, what do you have planned for today?” Heather asked.

  “I was going to do some writing,” Lilly said. “I had a new idea for a dinosaur detective story. Do you want to hear my idea? Or do you want to wait to read it?”

  “Whatever you’re more comfortable with,” Heather said.

  “I kinda want to tell someone.”

  “Good. Because I kinda want to hear it,” said Heather with a smile.

  “I came up with a crime idea that I think is pretty good,” Lilly said.

  “I know it’s a mystery, but don’t keep me in suspense,” said Heather. “I want to hear all about it.”

  “I thought that a dinosaur egg would go missing and all the dinosaurs are concerned and start a search party. Finally, my detective realizes that one set of tree branches on a tall tree is bent differently, and he realizes the egg is up there. The triceratops knocks into the tree, and my hero catches it and saves it so it doesn’t get scrambled.”

  “I can see it,” Heather says.

  “But then they need to figure out who stole it in the first place. Because it is so high up in the tree, they blame the pterodactyl. And everyone is really mean to him, and he says he didn’t do. So, my detective dino is on the case.”

  “It wasn’t the pterodactyl?”

  “No. It was the Apatosaurus. He rolled the egg up his neck so it built up momentum and it flew up into the tree.”

  “That’s fantastic,” Heather said.

  “Thanks,” Lilly said, smiling.

  “Why did the Apatosaurus do it?” Heather asked.

  “I don’t know,” said Lilly. “That’s what I’m stuck on. That’s why I need to work on it today.”

  “I think it’s a great crime and great twist at the end,” Heather said. “But the motive is very important.”

  “Is that what you look for when you solve your cases?” Lilly asked.

  “Well, I get to use more high-tech forensic analysis than your dinosaur characters,” Heather said.

  “Hey,” Lilly joked. “It’s not their fault they can’t check for fingerprints. They don’t have fingers!”

  Heather laughed and then tried to really answer the question. “I look for suspect’s motive because “why” a person was killed can be as important as “how.” Usually, a killer needs a really good reason to kill someone. If you can figure out a reason why someone would want to kill the victim, then you have a strong suspect.”

  “I want to have a strong suspect in my story. I’ll have to figure out a good motive for him,” Lilly said.

  “I know you will,” said Heather.

  “Are you going to look at people’s motives today?”

  “I am,” said Heather. “Right after Eva and Leila check on the progress on their home repairs, they agreed to look after you for the afternoon.”

  “I won’t be hard to look after,” Lilly said. “I’m going to spend all afternoon at my typewriter, finding a motive for egg snatching.”

  Chapter 9

  Heather, Amy and Ryan were back at the restaurant, but under less entertaining circumstances. Instead of enjoying a mystery play, they were questioning the director about the real murder.

  The director, Raymond Artund, was a small man with a big beard. He made expressive hand gestures whenever he spoke and had come dangerously close to knocking Amy’s tablet out of her hands.

  “This is an outrage,” Raymond said. “How dare someone kill a man in our own backyard on opening night. They speak of ghosts in the theater, but this is too much.”

  “Plus, it’s a restaurant,” Amy said, still annoyed about her tablet. She found a safer corner to sit and prepared to take notes of the interview again.

  “Any space where people come together to experience the art that actors provide is a theater,” Raymond said.

  “We’d like to talk a little more about the theater show,” Ryan said. “We need to figure out if Vinny’s de
ath is related to the performance.”

  “Perhaps it is,” Raymond said. “Vinny used to be a part of our company. Only a few lines here and there. He wasn’t great at memorizing lines. But he was charming. And handsome to have onstage.”

  “Why wasn’t he a part of the company any longer?” Ryan asked. “Was it his choice or yours?”