Deep Fried Homicide (The Donut Shop Mysteries)

by Jessica Beck

  “It’s hard to imagine how much energy it takes me right now just to get dressed,” he said as he adjusted his sling. “I hit my arm three times just trying to put my shirt on. I know one thing. I’m going to abandon T shirts and go back to dress shirts until this thing is healed. At least they button up.”

  “How does your arm feel?”

  “I won’t lie to you. It hurts getting shot,” Jake admitted as he sat heavily down on the couch.

  “I would be surprised if it didn’t,” I said. “You can take another pill for the pain if you’d like to.”

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll give it a little time, first.”

  I just shook my head and laughed.

  Jake asked me, “What’s so funny?”

  “I already know that you’re a tough guy. You don’t have to keep proving it to me.”

  “Actually, I’m trying to prove it to me,” he said a little solemnly. “Getting shot has robbed me of some of my confidence quicker than anything I’ve ever had happen to me before.”

  I felt bad that I’d laughed. I touched his shoulder as I said, “Jake, you’re the toughest man I know. Surely you realize that.”

  “Suzanne, in all of the years that I’ve been a cop, I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to take a bullet.” He moved his slinged arm a little, and then he said, “Now that I’m going through it, I’m not quite as brave as I imagined myself to be. It’s hard to reconcile who I thought I was with who I really am.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. After all, you’re only human,” I said.

  “Don’t remind me,” he replied. “Right now it feels as though my arm is going to be this way forever, and I can’t stand the thought of being useless.”

  “Are you okay?” I asked him softly. “I’m worried about you.”

  “You shouldn’t be. I’ll be fine,” he said. “I guess what it boils down to is that I’m just not all that fond of feeling so helpless, but I’m sure that I’ll get used to it sooner or later.”

  “You’re not going to have time to do that,” I said. “I know that you’re going to be as good as new before you know it.”

  “I wish that I had your confidence in my healing ability,” he said as a hint of a frown began to darken his stern countenance even more. “It sure doesn’t feel that way at the moment.”

  “Hey, nobody said that you didn’t deserve a little time to wallow in self pity, if that’s what you really want to do,” I said as neutrally as I could.

  Jake shot a sharp glance in my direction, held it for a full second, and then he gently nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m doing, isn’t it?”

  “Well, maybe a little bit,” I said.

  “Or maybe even a lot.” He took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out. “There. I’m better now.”

  “Seriously? That’s all that it took?” I asked incredulously.

  “Well, that and your company. Suzanne, I know that I’m not the easiest patient in the world, but I’m going to do better from here on out. That bullet missed everything that was vital, and I should be celebrating that fact, not moping around because I can’t do everything that I used to be able to do. I’m honestly better now. Thanks.”

  “I’m not quite sure what I did,” I said.

  “You called me on my behavior. Isn’t that enough?”

  “I’d like to think so,” I said. “So, what would you like to do now?”

  “Do we still have pie?” he asked with a smile, and I knew that I had my Jake back.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” I replied with a grin of my own.

  Chapter 11

  I heard a car pull up outside a minute later as I was getting Jake his pie. When I peeked out from the kitchen, I realized that Jake must have heard it, too. He started to get up, but I said, “Why don’t I check on it myself? You need your rest.”

  “All I seem to be doing is resting,” he protested.

  “Good. Then keep up the good work.” I looked outside and saw that State Police Officer Terry Hanlan was here. “It’s Terry,” I said as I headed for the door.

  “I’m getting up, Suzanne,” Jake said, the resolve clear in his voice. At least he wasn’t still feeling sorry for himself. I’d rather have him fighting than giving up any day.

  “Do you at least need a hand?” I knew when I’d heard that tone in the past that there was no use arguing, so I might as well try to help.

  “No, I can manage just fine on my own, but thanks for the offer.” Jake struggled to stand, but to my credit, I didn’t make a single move to help him. He was determined to do it on his own, and I wasn’t about to take that away from him. He finally found his balance and strength as he stood, but it wasn’t without its own drama. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized that I’d been holding, but at least he didn’t catch it.

  As the doorbell rang, my boyfriend answered it himself.

  Terry smiled when he saw him, and Jake grinned in return.

  “It’s good to see you up and about,” Terry said as he shook Jake’s left hand.

  “You know me. It’ll take more than a bullet to slow me down,” Jake replied. He was doing his best to be cheerful in front of the other state police inspector, something he hadn’t tried to do with me. In a way, it made me feel more loved. After all, he had shown me his true feelings earlier, and he hadn’t tried to put on a brave face for me. I decided to take that as a compliment.

  “That’s the spirit,” Terry replied. “I hope you don’t mind, but I asked Officer Grant to hang around outside while we had a little chat in here.”

  “No problem,” Jake said.

  “I’m sure that he’s happy to do it,” I replied. “He’s not just a local cop; he’s our friend, too.”

  Terry looked at me for a moment before he spoke again. “Suzanne, you have every right to refuse my request, but would it be possible for you to step outside with Officer Grant while I have a confidential conversation with Officer Bishop?”

  Jake answered before I could. “Terry, you can say anything in front of her that you would say to me alone.”

  “That’s not the way this works, and you know it,” Terry said.

  “You’ve got to know that I’m just going to tell her everything that you’re about to tell me once you’re gone,” Jake replied. “We don’t have any secrets between us.”

  “What you do with the information I’m about to convey to you once you receive it is entirely up to you,” Terry said firmly. “I hate to be a stickler, but I’m going to have to brief our boss when I get back from vacation, and I’d rather not lie to him, if it’s all the same to you.”

  “Don’t say another word. I understand completely,” I said as I quickly moved toward the door. “I don’t mind going outside.”

  “Really?” Jake asked me. “Remember, it’s your house. You don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to.”

  “Nonsense. Terry is doing us both a huge favor by taking his vacation time to watch out for us. I’m not about to insult him by demanding that he do something that he’s not comfortable with.”

  “I hate to even ask,” Terry said apologetically.

  “Don’t think another thing about it. Come get me when you’re finished.”

  “Thanks,” Jake said. “I really appreciate this.”

  “I’m happy to do it,” I replied as I walked outside.

  “What happened? Did they kick you out?” Officer Grant asked me when I joined him outside on the front porch.

  “As a matter of fact, I left voluntarily,” I said. “It’s something about official police business, so I really didn’t have any right to be there. Thanks for hanging around so they can chat in peace.”

  “It’s okay. I’m glad to do it. Besides, my shift doesn’t start until ten today,” he said.

  “Still, I’m pretty sure that there are better ways for you to spend your time off than hanging around on my front porch.”

  “Not with Grace still sleeping,” he answered with a smile.
/>
  “How’s that going?” I asked him.

  “Hasn’t she said anything to you about us?” he asked, the curiosity thick in his voice. “I just naturally assumed that you knew more about our relationship than I did.”

  I laughed. “I may have heard a thing or two about it, but if I understand anything, it’s that if there are two people involved in something, then there’s a good chance that there are at least two ways to describe it. I know Grace’s take on things. Now I’m asking you for yours.”

  “I couldn’t be happier, myself,” he said with a grin. Though he was holding a conversation with me, it was clear that the brunt of his focus was on the land around us. None of these men ever seemed to stop working.

  “Grace seems happy as well,” I said.

  “Really?” he asked as he studied my expression.

  “I wouldn’t lie to you. Why do you seem so surprised?”

  “Well, we both know that I’m quite a bit younger than she is,” Officer Grant admitted. “Sometimes I think she feels odd about being seen out with me. Tell me that it’s just in my imagination.”

  “I wish that I could, but I’m not sure that I can,” I answered him as truthfully as I could.

  “I see.” That seemed to take the wind right out of him.

  “Hang on a second. That doesn’t mean that this relationship isn’t worth pursuing. Grace has had more than her share of trouble with men in the past. Has it ever occurred to you that she might just be looking for an excuse in case this one blows up on her, too?”

  “That’s not a very promising way to start a new relationship, is it?” He seemed troubled by my comments, and I felt a little bad about being so frank with him.

  “Listen carefully to me. I know Grace better than anyone alive, and I think you’ve got a real chance to make it work, as long as you’re in it for the long haul. That’s not to say that there won’t be some bumps along the way, but anything worth having is worth fighting for, at least in my opinion.”

  He grinned at me. “Got it. Thanks for the pep talk, Coach.”

  “I did sound kind of preachy, didn’t I?”

  “Maybe so, but that’s exactly what I needed,” he said.

  The front door opened, and Terry walked out. Instead of addressing me, he spoke to Officer Grant. “Thanks for sticking around. You can take off now.”

  “Thank you, sir. I’ll be back here at four AM tomorrow.”

  Terry nodded, and then he handed the local cop his business card. “I want you to know that what you’re doing here isn’t going unnoticed. If you need anything down the road, and I mean anything at all, I want you to call me.”

  “Thanks,” Officer Grant said as he put the card in his breast pocket, “but I hope you know that’s not why I’m doing this.”

  “I understand that,” Terry said with a slight smile. “That’s why I gave you my card.”

  After Officer Grant was gone, Terry said, “He seems like a good man.”

  “I think so,” I said. “Thanks for being nice to him. So, how’s Jake doing?”

  “He’s fine. He wanted me to send you in. Suzanne, I’m sorry about that earlier. You don’t know me that well yet, but I’m a stand-up guy. I wouldn’t have asked if it weren’t important to me.”

  “There’s no need to apologize,” I said, and then I added with a grin, “Besides, you heard my boyfriend. He’s going to tell me everything that you just told him as soon as I’m inside anyway.”

  Terry laughed. “You two make a good pair. I’m glad that he found you.”

  “Not half as glad as I am,” I said. I had a question that I was almost afraid to ask, but I wasn’t sure when I might get the opportunity again. “Did you happen to know his wife very well?” Jake’s family had died in a car crash quite awhile ago while he’d been on duty, and it had torn out his very soul. It had taken him years to get over his loss and open his heart again to me. I had trouble asking him questions about his wife, but maybe Terry could satisfy my curiosity.

  “Yes, I knew her,” he said. “She was lovely.”

  “I’ve seen her photograph,” I said.

  “That’s not what I meant,” Terry explained. “Oh, she was pretty enough, but her beauty came from the inside. She was sweet, kind, and devoted to Jake. It’s funny that you’d ask me about her.”

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  “Jake told me not three minutes ago that he’d been lucky in love twice in his life, finding her first, and then you. He loves you, Suzanne.”

  “That’s good, because I love him, too.”

  “That much is clear.” Terry shook his head slightly, and then he added, “You’d better get back in there before he tries to get up from the couch again. He really needs to take it easy.”

  “Try telling him that. He’s struggling right now, but he’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me one bit,” Terry said as he took up the post that Officer Grant had just vacated.

  When I walked back in, Jake was staring at the door in frustration. “There you are. I was about ready to send out a search party for you.”

  “Terry and I had a little chat before I came back in,” I said.

  “What about?”

  “Mostly we talked about how lucky you were to have me in your life,” I said with a smile.

  “I never denied it,” Jake said. “I’m guessing that he didn’t talk about Rusk with you, did he?”

  “Not a word,” I replied. “Have they caught him yet?”

  “No, but that’s not the worst part of it. The earlier ID in Pennsylvania turned out to be a false alarm. The truth is that we have no idea where he is right now. The FBI is looking for him, but we can’t discount the possibility that he’s in April Springs. Even with Terry standing guard out front during the day and your friends taking over at night, I don’t like just sitting here waiting for him to show up.”

  “Do we have any choice? You were shot in the arm by his partner, remember?”

  “I’m not about to forget that. The thing is, I don’t mind being the bait in the trap, but I’m not fond of you being in danger, Suzanne. What if you go stay with your mother and leave me here to face Rusk alone? It will make things a whole lot easier for me if I’m not worried about you.”

  “How can you be so sure that Rusk is the one who’s after one of us? Heather might be out there somewhere trying to get her revenge on me. By deserting you and going to Momma’s, I might be putting myself in more danger than if I just stayed here with you.”

  Jake frowned, and after a moment, he reluctantly replied, “I’ll admit that I didn’t think about that possibility. You’re right. Maybe we should leave things just as they are.”

  “That sounds like a good plan to me,” I said as my cellphone rang. “It’s Emma. I hope they haven’t had any problems at the donut shop. Do you mind if I take it?”

  “Be my guest,” he said. “I think I might have another one of her donuts while you two chat. After all, I have to get my strength back up, don’t I?”

  “Just don’t get carried away,” I said with a smile. “Hi, Emma. What’s up?”

  “I might be calling you for nothing, but a state police inspector came by the shop this morning.”

  “His name didn’t happen to be Inspector Terry Hanlan, did it?”

  “That’s the one. So, you knew that he was in town?”

  “As a matter of fact, he’s here looking out for Jake,” I said. “Thanks for calling, though.”

  “That’s not the real reason that I called. I just wanted to make sure that he was legit,” Emma said softly. “Inspector Hanlan brought an artist’s sketch by and told me to be on the lookout for some man named Rusk.”

  “Yes, we think he might be headed this way looking for Jake.”

  “Well, I might be wrong, but I think he’s standing in the donut shop this very second. He asked me where you were, and I had Mom talk to him while I ducked back in the kitchen to call you. You’d better have J
ake send someone over here right now, Suzanne. I don’t like the way he’s looking at my mother.”

  “Stay on the line. I’m on it,” I said as I turned to Jake. “Rusk is in the donut shop!”

  “Get Terry!” he barked as he got up off the couch quickly. The movement must have cost him something because I saw him wincing with pain, but it was clear that Jake was ready for action.

  “You’re not going with him!” I ordered as I flung the door open.

  “What is it?” Terry asked, alarmed by my shouting.

  “My assistant thinks that Rusk is in the donut shop right now!”

  “You stay here!” Terry told Jake as he rushed out the door.

  “Jake, you can’t go,” I said as I stood in his way.

  “Get out of my way, Suzanne,” he said, almost growling the words at me.

  “I won’t,” I replied, holding my ground and blocking him from leaving. “You’re in no condition to tackle a killer.”

  He thought about trying to get past me anyway, but I watched closely as he finally gave in. Grabbing his cellphone, he dialed a number as I heard Emma on my own line.

  “He just ran out the door!” she said, nearly out of breath. “Should I follow him?”

  “No!”

  “Okay, I just thought I’d ask,” Emma said contritely.

  “Sorry I yelled, but this man is extremely dangerous. Are you okay?”

  “Everyone here is fine,” she said. “Listen, I’ve got to go. That state policeman is back.”

  She hung up on me, and I debated going to the shop myself, but I knew that my place, at least for the moment, was with Jake. If I went, he’d go with me, and I wasn’t at all sure how that would turn out.

  “I’m sorry that I had to stop you,” I said.

  “You did the right thing,” Jake said as he tried to hug me. I had to be careful about his arm, but I did my best to hug him back without causing him too much pain. “I got kind of carried away.”