Both Meg and Connor were taken back by Wyatt’s candid hostility.
“You’re really making no bones about that, huh? I’m surprised you’re not even trying to keep that secret,” Connor said.
“Secrets are a waste of time. That’s why I don’t bother with them,” Wyatt replied.
“In that case, why don’t you answer my question?” Meg suggested.
“What was it again?” Wyatt replied.
“It must have really burned you to find out your dad chose to stage your stepmom’s play over yours,” Meg said.
This was the moment of truth. Would Wyatt come clean and reveal that Ethan Wakefield had changed his mind at the last minute, or would he take Meg’s bait with the lie she’d just told?
“Of course it burned me. But in the end, he made the right choice by changing his mind and deciding to stage my play instead of Paige’s,” Wyatt revealed.
Maybe Wyatt truly didn’t keep any secrets. Meg expected him to lie. She almost couldn’t believe he came clean without being forced into a corner.
Meg raised her eyebrows at Connor.
The detective took the lead. “That’s an interesting development.”
“No, my dad just finally came to his senses,” Wyatt declared.
“What was your relationship with your father like?”
“It had its ups and downs. He wasn’t exactly a loving father. He preferred to spend his time chasing women,” Wyatt replied.
“What made him decide to stage your play then instead of his wife’s?” Connor asked.
“The only thing he loved more than women, was money. He wasn’t the king of carpet sales for nothing, and he wasn’t going to rest until he became the king of theater in Enchanted Bay too. He chose my play because it was more marketable than the one my stepmom wrote,” Wyatt revealed.
“This sudden change of heart your father had. How soon before he was murdered did he make it?” Connor wondered.
“How should I know? I didn’t murder him,” Wyatt replied.
“We’ll be the judge of that,” Connor said.
Meg stepped in. “Wyatt, where were you between eleven and midnight?”
“I was at Al’s Diner having a celebratory slice of pie,” Wyatt said.
“Do you have anyone to verify it?” Meg asked.
Wyatt reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “This should be all the verification you need.”
Wyatt then grabbed a receipt from his wallet and handed it to Meg. She read it over. The receipt was from Al’s Diner and listed a slice of pie on it that was time-stamped right in the window where the murder had occurred.
Meg couldn’t believe it. When it came to motive, Wyatt seemed to be at the top of the list. Yet, he suddenly had an alibi. There was no denying that. It was right there on the receipt.
She handed it to Connor, and he was in just as much disbelief as her. Connor kept staring at the receipt, double and triple checking the numbers, but they all added up.
“See. I told you I didn’t do it,” Wyatt said.
“You certainly did,” Connor replied, still in disbelief.
Since Wyatt seemed to be in such a candid mood, Meg decided to take advantage of that.
“If you didn’t do it, who do you think did?” she asked.
Wyatt fired back. “Isn’t that your job to find out?”
“What about your stepmom?”
“I wouldn’t put anything past her,” Wyatt replied.
“She’s convinced Daphne Scott did it,” Meg said.
This was a hot button topic for Wyatt. His current stepmom accusing his former stepmom of murder. How would he react?
“Like I said, I wouldn’t put anything past Paige, including trying to throw someone else under the bus,” Wyatt replied.
“Not just anyone; your old stepmom. What’s your relationship like with Daphne Scott?” Meg asked.
“We don’t have one. She didn’t just dump my dad. She cut both of the Wakefield’s out of her life,” Wyatt explained.
“Do you think Daphne is capable of murder?” Meg wondered.
“In the right circumstances, anyone is. Except me, of course,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt had an alibi on his side but still looked suspicious to Meg. It was almost too clean cut.
Meg gave him a weak smile. “Of course.”
“Anyway, it has been a long day for me. I’m still trying to get over the shock that my father is actually gone. So if there’s nothing else, I’d like to go back inside now,” Wyatt revealed.
When Wyatt closed the door, both Meg and Connor stood on his doorstep in shock for a few moments. Of all the twists in this case, the fact that Wyatt Wakefield had a verifiable alibi seemed to come as the biggest surprise. They both took a deep breath, composed themselves, and headed back to Connor’s car with their heads spinning.
Chapter Twenty-Four
After a day of non-stop interviews, it was dizzying trying to keep up with the lies, twists, and double crosses. By the time they got done with questioning Wyatt Wakefield, both Meg and Connor’s brains were like wet rags. It was more than just the emotional exhaustion that had caught up with them. Their frustration was getting ready to boil over.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to call it a day. My brain is pudding right now,” Meg said.
Connor’s taste buds started acting up. “Please don’t say pudding.”
“What’s the matter, you hungry?”
“Are you kidding? I’m starved. Nothing gets my appetite going quite like detective work.”
“Maybe dinner is just the brain food we need—with some dessert thrown in, of course.”
Just when Meg thought she’d seen her last surprise for the afternoon, another one came her way.
“Actually, I should be heading back to the station. There are some things I need to follow up on, not to mention some loose ends I don’t want to keep dangling any longer.”
Meg tried not to sound too deflated. “Oh.”
“I’m sure I’ll be completely ravenous by the time I’m done. If you can wait that long, I’d be happy to take a rain check,” Connor said.
Meg smiled. “It’s a deal.”
***
Connor dropped Meg off at home, where Penelope gave her a warm greeting. Meg’s grandma, now turned talking cat, knew how to butter her up for food, but there was more than just hunger in her voice right then.
“How was your day?” Penelope the talking cat said.
“Don’t ask,” Meg replied.
“Too late. I just did,” Penelope replied, playfully.
Meg prepared a bowl of food for Penelope, and then crashed on her welcoming, plushy couch.
For once, Penelope actually skipped eating briefly to try and turn Meg’s mood around.
“Has the case got you down?” Penelope asked.
Meg furrowed her brow. “How do you know about the case?”
Penelope opened her eyes wide as could be. “Have you forgotten the gossip-loving relative we have in common?”
Meg snickered. “Is there anything mom doesn’t tell you?”
“I doubt it.”
Meg laughed.
“She’s just worried about you,” Penelope explained.
“I’ll be fine. I just need some time to make sense of this case.”
“Why don’t you run the details by me? I am a case-cracking expert, after all,” Penelope boasted, with the kind of confidence only a cat could get away with.
“Of TV mysteries,” Meg pointed out.
Sure Penelope watched a lot of episodes of Detective Danger, but that didn’t mean she could cut it as a real life cat sleuth. True crimes had some serious twists. Besides, Meg just wanted some distance from the case to untie the knots in her head.
“A mystery is a mystery,” Penelope insisted.
“Thanks, grandma, but right now, I want to talk about anything but this case.”
“Fair enough. How about some news?”
�
��As long as it’s not TV news. Those stories are always depressing.”
“How about the latest news from the rumor mill?” Penelope asked.
Meg bit on that. “Anything juicy?”
“According to your mother, Francine Heller came into the donut shop today complaining about having to work for a living.”
“Nothing like the stories of a down-on-her-luck former trophy wife,” Meg joked.
“Yeah. It’s safe to say she’s having a hard time coming to terms with life not being handed to her on a silver platter anymore.”
“Welcome to the real world. Not everyone gets to go through life leeching off their rich husband. It turns out sometimes you actually have to work for things,” Meg cracked.
“To be fair, she has had an insane fall from grace since Max Donovan left her for his secretary. She went from being on top of the Enchanted Bay social scene to waking up in the gutter. It’s a shock to go from easy street to hard luck alley in the blink of an eye,” Penelope said.
“Speaking of easy street, how’s the hardscrabble life of a fat housecat treating you?” Meg joked.
“Let’s just say, I’m looking forward to eight more lives of this. It’s intoxicating being waited on, hand and paw. Hint, hint, tuna, tuna.”
Meg shook her head in disbelief. “You’re so spoiled. It’s hard to believe you were once so down-to-earth.”
“Things change when you get pampered. And let me tell you when life comes this easy, it’s hard to imagine living any other way.”
Penelope thought she’d just made an innocuous joke. It was anything but. Her statement triggered something in Meg’s mind. It was like a lightbulb had gone off in her head. Throughout the whole day, her brain was nothing but mush; a stew of conflicting thoughts. Suddenly, everything was crystal clear.
“That’s it,” Meg declared.
Penelope was confused. “What are you talking about?”
Meg smiled. “I know who killed Ethan Wakefield.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The next morning, Paige Wakefield sat behind her desk in her new office at the Enchanted Theater. With Ethan’s death, she had inherited his ownership of the place, and was trying to settle into her new role as the top dog.
While Paige typed at her computer, Vanessa McMillan entered the doorway to the office and knocked.
Paige looked up at her with a smile. “Ah, Vanessa, there you are. Come in and take a seat.”
Vanessa was far more guarded but did sit down. “What’s this about?”
“I knew you’d be wondering that.”
“Of course. I was shocked when you called me.”
“I know we don’t have the best history, but I thought now would be a good time to bury the hatchet,” Paige said.
Suddenly, Meg emerged in the doorway behind Vanessa.
Meg went straight to work. “Just like you buried a pick ax in Ethan Wakefield’s back.”
Vanessa whirled around in her chair and glared at Meg.
“You again. What are you doing here? You can’t just come in here and throw around crazy accusations,” Vanessa said.
Meg corrected her. “They aren’t just accusations. I know the truth. Although, I have to admit, you nearly had me fooled.”
Vanessa was defiant. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It’s a shock to go from easy street to hard luck alley, especially in the blink of an eye. One minute you were on top of the Enchanted Bay theater world, the next you were out of a job—all because of Ethan. The thing is, when life comes easy, it’s hard to imagine things any other way, but that’s exactly the situation you were faced with all of a sudden. Not just you, but your father as well. Ethan had found a way to screw you both over at once, but as a writer, you were determined to make sure this story had a different ending. You figured out the way to get the last word in. In a great twist of irony, after Ethan figuratively stabbed your father in the back, you decided to literally stab Ethan in the back,” Meg explained.
Vanessa went into full denial mode. “Stop it. I’m warning you--”
Meg kept going. “With Enchanted Nights canceled, you knew no one would notice if the pick ax prop from the play went missing. The ax wasn’t just a fitting weapon to kill Ethan with. As the prop Liz Donnelly’s character carried around throughout the majority of the musical, leaving the ax at the scene of the crime would immediately incriminate Liz instead of you. So you killed Ethan, wiped the ax clean of fingerprints, and left it at the scene, convinced that Liz would go to jail for the crime you committed. Isn’t that right?”
Vanessa gave Meg a death stare, quietly seething for a few moments.
Meg pushed her again. “Didn’t you?”
Suddenly, Vanessa blew her top. “Yeah, I did. I killed Ethan. And you’re next.”
Vanessa lunged towards Meg with crazy eyes, looking to strangle her. She wouldn’t get the chance to.
Just then, Detective Connor Smith darted out of his hiding spot in the office next door and emerged in the doorway with his gun drawn.
“Freeze,” Connor said.
Vanessa stopped dead in her tracks. As she stared at the gun pointed at her, she knew there was no escape. She’d been caught. Faced with that realization, Vanessa had an emotional breakdown.
“Ethan didn’t just ruin my life, but my father’s too. He was a scumbag. A complete sleaze ball that had no problem lying and cheating to get his way. He was so arrogant that he never thought his actions would catch up with him, but they sure did,” Vanessa blurted out.
“Your actions have caught up with you as well. Now you’re going to spend the rest of your life behind bars,” Meg declared.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Take her away, boys,” Connor said.
Two of Connor’s deputies dragged the killer to their squad car. Finally, Meg could breathe a sigh of relief. Now would normally be the point where Meg and Connor blew off some steam with a few wisecracks. She waited for him to let one rip. Instead, he left her hanging.
Uh oh.
Connor looked really tense. Relief, Meg could understand, but she didn’t know why he was so stiff. Unless he was bothered by the fact that Meg had been the one to solve the case instead of him. To be fair, it must have been pretty frustrating for Connor. After all, he was a ten year veteran of the police force who specialized in solving homicide cases. Now, for the second case in a row, he’d been upstaged by a donut shop manager.
In Meg’s mind, all that mattered was the guilty party had been caught and would soon be in jail. To her, putting this whole thing behind them mattered more than who got the credit. Luckily, Meg wasn’t the type to rub things in. She was curious to see how Connor would react, though.
Finally, after ten seconds of silence, Meg spoke up.
“Are you all right?” Meg wondered.
Connor pulled himself out of his daze. “Uh…yeah.”
“Are you sure about that? You don’t even sound like you’ve convinced yourself.”
“I’m just in awe is all,” Connor revealed.
“Of what?”
He turned to her with his eyes as wide as saucers. “You.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but it’s not like I just performed brain surgery.”
“Go ahead and try and downplay what you did. But I’m not the only one amazed by what you did. Take the killer, for example, I’ll bet they’re just as awed by your sleuthing as I am.”
“I’m pretty sure the killer has more colorful, bitter description of the sleuthing I did.”
Connor nodded. “Yeah. They probably wished you’d performed brain surgery instead of investigated this case.”
Meg laughed. “True. At the same time, I’ll just be happy to put this all behind me. I don’t know about you, but I miss the sleepy Enchanted Bay of yore.”
“Don’t say sleep. I haven’t been getting much shut-eye lately and could go for a good nap after all this running around.”
She was surprised. “R
eally? I’m completely wired.”
He gave her a knowing look. “There’s nothing quite like the adrenaline rush you get from cracking a case.”
Meg nodded. “I feel like I can take on the world.”
“Watch out. It’s addictive. Before you know it, you’ll be joining the force.”
“Let’s not get crazy now. There are donuts to bake, and we both know my mother is never going to get up early enough in the morning to bake them. That honor falls to yours truly,” she joked. She then switched gears as her stomach started to rumble. “Speaking of, I have the biggest craving for a donut right now.”
He chuckled. “You’re sounding more like a detective every day.”
“You must be rubbing off on me.”
“Speak for yourself. You’re the one getting me hankering for a nice bear claw.”
“It’s settled. There’s only one solution to this problem. We have to go stuff our faces, ASAP.”
Connor grimaced. “This is where being an amateur sleuth really works in your favor. Unfortunately, duty calls, and with it, a dreaded batch of paperwork.”
“That’s why I’m glad I don’t have a badge. Besides, I don’t look good in a trench coat,” she joked.
He laughed. “I’ll tell you what, nothing works up an appetite like paperwork. How about I treat you to some dinner when I get all this casework done?”
Meg smiled. “It’s a date.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Meg couldn’t wait to deliver the good news to Liz Donnelly. As relieved as Meg was to put this case behind her, no doubt the happiest person of all would be Liz. So when Meg revealed that Liz was in the clear, she was surprised that she didn’t immediately jump for joy. Instead, Liz got very quiet, clutched her chest, and then closed her eyes.
Meg furrowed her brow. “Are you ok?”
Liz took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and then gave Meg a big hug.
“Yeah. Thanks to you,” Liz replied.
Having spent so much of her life intentionally trying to fly under the radar in order to keep her witch powers secret, Meg was not comfortable in the spotlight. Her mother had always taught her the importance of humility. Because of that, Meg tried to downplay her actions.
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