The Sweet Taste of Murder: An Angel Lake Mystery

by CeeCee James

“As for the flowers, well I sent twenty-nine of them.” He clapped his hands together. “And if you are as smart as you think you are, I’m sure you’ll figure out why.”

  “Why the Delphinium?”

  “Ah,” he nodded. “That shouldn’t be too hard to figure out either. Now, it’s time for you to go. Let me show you the way out.” He rolled to the door. As he turned to see if she was following, something small hit the floor and rattled away. A prescription bottle. For the first time, he looked flustered as he pushed the chair after the bottle.

  It rolled to Elise’s feet, and she scooped it up. Spinning it slightly, she tried to read the bottle, even as she handed it back. He snatched it from her hand and transferred it beneath the lap blanket.

  Elise smiled and twisted the door handle. The heavy carved door opened easily on smooth hinges and allowed a rectangle of sunshine to fall upon the green marble. “One more thing,” she said as she stepped out. “Where were you on the day of the 27th?”

  “I was with my niece doing physical therapy in Tallahassee. I have the receipt from the hotel we stayed at. Be careful, Elise. You’re playing with the big kids now.” Once again, he planted a confident grin across his face and closed the door.

  CHAPTER 21

  After her visit with Mr. Davis, Elise pulled into the RiteAid parking lot. This business housed a pharmacy, along with every odd-and-end item from hair care products, toys, to seasonal items. There was even a cooler in the back to pick up milk.

  A few minutes later, Brad knocked on her car window. She jerked in surprise before opening the door. “You’re always scaring me.”

  “Such an easy target. And, fancy meeting you here.”

  Elise laughed. “I read your mind. Or your text.”

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said. Sweat trickled down his brow. “Turns out the jog was a bit farther than I expected from the courthouse.”

  Elise’s ears perked up. Jogging? Potential jogging partner maybe? Her gaze fell to his muscular legs under long shorts, and then up to his rippled abs exposed as he used the bottom of his shirt to wipe his face. Her mouth went dry.

  “Right?” His voice startled her, and she glanced up meeting his eyes crinkled with amusement.

  “It is pretty far,” she murmured back.

  “I just can’t let you think I can’t keep up with you. Speaking of that, when were you going to tell me you went to Mr. Davis’s?” He raised an eyebrow.

  She felt the heat flood her face and decided that changing the subject was the best course of action. “Has Mrs. McMahon ever been considered a suspect?”

  “At this point, everyone near Cameron is considered a suspect until we can rule them out.”

  “So, has she been ruled out yet?”

  He grinned mischievously. “So far, only I’ve been ruled out. And you are still one of my top contenders.”

  “That’s not even funny.”

  “What can I say? I think you might look pretty cute in handcuffs.”

  She gave him a punch in the arm. “Start with that.”

  “Yeah, assaulting an officer. I know there were some earlier ones…. Oh yeah, messing with witnesses.”

  “Oh, brother.” Elise smiled and glanced down at her Fitbit. She stifled a groan. Two thousand more steps needed today.

  “Let me think of what else. Tampering with an investigation. Illegal parking. You’re just racking up crimes.” He gestured to where her car sat outside the convenience store.

  “That’s not illegal.”

  “Customers only.” He mimicked the owner and pointed to the sign that stood tilted after a previous customer backed into it.

  “All right, all right, I’ll move my car. I need to get to Lavina’s anyway.” She tipped her head. “After we talk to Sylvia of course.”

  “We?” he asked, fanning the front of his t-shirt to cool himself off.

  “You. I mean you. Now can we go?”

  He tipped his head like he was considering it. Flipping her hair off her shoulder, she ignored him and walked into the convenience store.

  Sylvia was at the cash register, looking harried and very pregnant. Her face was flushed, and her blonde hair plastered back in a sweaty ponytail.

  “Can I help you?” she asked as they came in.

  Brad walked over to the register. “Hi, Sylvia. I’m Brad Carter from Angel Lake PD. Do you think you have a few minutes to talk to us?”

  She licked her chapped lips and glanced in the far corner where the pharmacy was located. The pharmacist stared sternly at them before tapping his wrist and holding up five fingers.

  “Yeah, I guess I have a few minutes.” She lumbered from behind the counter, looking even bigger than just a few days earlier when Elise had seen her. They followed her to the back of the building. “Break room’s in there.” She gestured and walked over to the fan blowing in the corner. The fan’s dirty blades made a whirring noise as she tipped her head and held the collar of her shirt open in front of it.

  An old Coke machine stood against the wall. Brad jangled some coins in his pocket. “Want a drink?” he offered Sylvia.

  She looked at him dully before nodding.

  He inserted the coins. “What would you like?” She shrugged, uninterested.

  “Right.” He nodded and pressed the keys. A bottle of water popped out below with a clunk against the clear door. Twisting the lid, he handed it over to her. “So, we’ve been asking a few questions about your whereabouts on the afternoon of the 27th.”

  “I heard,” she said in the same tired voice.

  “Yeah. Well, there’s something kind of weird going on with the dental appointment you said you were at on that day. Mind telling us what happened, in your words?”

  She closed her eyes and took a long chug of the water, the plastic bottle crinkling as it emptied. It seemed to refresh her because her blue eyes were brighter when she opened them. “I made the appointment at noon. I know this because I timed it so I could go during my lunch break. At my old job. Before I got fired.” She slumped against the wall as the last few words seemed to drain her again.

  “And…?” Brad prompted. He pulled out a chair at the break room table.

  “And, when I came in they said, ‘No, you made this appointment at 11:15. Only there’s no way I would have made it at that time. It was a Thursday. That was payroll day. I had to make it at noon because Cameron wouldn’t let me take time off earlier than that.”

  Brad nodded. “Any idea why they had the wrong time?”

  She shook her head. “But I have proof I made it at noon.”

  “Really?” Brad sat straighter in his chair. “What proof is that?”

  “I went home and found the card. It was in with the rest of my stuff jammed in plastic bags. Out in the front yard.”

  “Your stuff was sitting in the yard in plastic bags?” Elise couldn’t help herself. Brad shook his head warningly.

  “Yeah. That was the day Frank kicked me out.” She put her hand on her belly. “He said he wasn’t taking care of no drug dealer’s baby and to get out.”

  “Drug dealer? Isn’t it Cameron’s baby?” Again the words came out before Elise realized. This time, Brad cleared his throat.

  “Yeah, it’s Cameron’s. Frank always called him that.” Sylvia looked up at the clock and then back at Brad. “Look, I need to be getting back to work. Is there anything else?”

  “Just one more thing. Were you on your two weeks notice at that time?”

  She sighed. “Yeah. Good ol’ Cameron was feeling generous and said I could finish out the month before he let me go.” Her eyes darted to Elise. “He was being very sweet.”

  Elise felt the rebuke for her earlier attempts at encouragement. She nodded.

  “Now, if there isn’t anything else, I need to go before I lose this job, too.”

  “No, there’s nothing more right now. Thank you for your time.” Brad smiled. “By the way, when are you due?”

  “Two more months.” She groaned and grabbed her bac
k. “And he is a kicker.”

  “He?”

  “Yeah, a boy. Cameron’s first son.”

  “Do you know if Cameron had any other kids?”

  “Nope, not that I knew of. Until the letter came out about your friend.” She nodded towards Elise. “I guess that lady knew she was his daughter. Probably thought she was going to get all that money without having to share. But I guess heir number two put a kink in that plan.”

  Sylvia grimaced and clutched at her back. “Look, I know you want to figure out who killed Cameron. But, all I wish is that things could go back to the way they once were. Before I made that horrible mistake. My marriage wasn’t perfect, but Frank and I… we had good times. That’s all gone now.” Her eyes welled up and she angrily wiped at them. “Can I go now?”

  When Brad nodded, she shuffled out of the break room and back to her station.

  “Well, that’s interesting,” Brad mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. They started for the door.

  “What’s interesting? You think Lavina cares that she’s soon going to have a brother?”

  “I think it’s interesting that your friend was the only child heir of his estate until recently. And now the other competition for the inheritance is one of the main suspects.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.

  “Oh, come on, Brad. You know Lavina. Why in the world would she ever need money? She’s totally a success in herself. She could have claimed to be his daughter at any time and reaped the rewards. But she didn’t. She didn’t want anyone to know.”

  “Exactly.” They’d reached her car now.

  Elise twiddled her keys. “Exactly what? Quit talking in riddles.”

  “She didn’t want anyone to know. Pretty curious, don’t you think?”

  “No. I absolutely don’t think it’s curious that you don’t want it known that your dad is the local scum lord of the town. If it were me, I’d keep it a secret too.” She felt heat rise in her face at his insinuations.

  “A secret that seems to have paid off in spades.” He glanced at her and casually leaned against her car. “I’m just saying, Elise. Maybe you’re too close to this.”

  “Brad. She is not the killer. Stop thinking about her that way. It’s been horrible. Everyone’s whispering that she poisoned him. I’m seriously worried about her having a breakdown. You have no idea how terrible this has been for her. Why hasn’t everyone been going after Frank like this? He had the same motive.”

  “You’re right about people being freaked about the poison. We’re hearing rumblings of it from weird places. This town is about to combust. And, by the way, Frank and Lavina’s motives are not exactly the same. There wasn’t financial gain for Frank. In fact, it makes less sense for him to have done it because he kicked Sylvia out. If he wanted Cameron dead, you’d think he would have played nice with Sylvia since it was her child that stood to inherit all that money.”

  “He doesn’t have the brains to think through details like that. Remember, Frank attacked Cameron in front of a bar, for crying out loud. And there was a gun involved!”

  “You never know, Elise. People continue to astound me all the time.” Brad glanced at her with a sad smile. “I know this isn’t easy. But, at the end of the day, I have a job to do. And that’s to bring some justice to whoever killed Cameron.” He reached for her shoulder. “Even, if at the end, it’s going to make you hate me.”

  “You’re wrong, Brad, that’s all I can say. I’ll see you later.” Her eyebrows rumpled in hurt and confusion. She climbed in her car with a brief wave out the window in his direction, before backing out and heading home.

  CHAPTER 22

  Elise set her bowl of granola on the counter and pulled the laptop closer. She logged into Facebook and searched for Cameron McMahon.

  He came up as the first person she might know. She clicked his profile and took a bite of cereal. Crunching, she scrolled through his pictures.

  Max bumped her feet with his head. “I know, it makes me feel like a stalker too.”

  With a loud meow, Max stretched up on her leg. “Ow, ow, ow!” she yelled as his nails made their little pinpricks of annoyance at not being fed. She brushed him down and opened a can of food.

  Then, she jumped back on the computer. The third picture in one of his folders made her pause. There was Cameron sprawled out on his boat, his normally greased back hair falling forward in a natural wave. At his feet was a little dachshund with a white star on his forehead.

  “Herman,” Elise whispered.

  After a moment, she began searching the words “pet finder, missing dogs.” Several animal shelters popped up. She pulled her bowl over and took bites as she scrolled through the pictures of dogs.

  The shelters close to her had a few small dogs, but none that looked like Herman. On a whim, she searched the farthest shelter, nearly two hours away.

  And there he was. Under a broad blue flag that said, “Adopt me.”

  * * *

  “Lavina, will you come with me? To see if this dog is Herman?”

  “Hush your mouth! You think you found him?”

  “I’m hoping I did. It’s a long shot but it seems too coincidental to ignore. I just hope he’s still there. When I called the animal services, they weren’t able to give me any information about him.”

  “Wait a minute. We’re driving two hours on a hunch this might be the dog, and you don’t even know if he’s still there or not?”

  “He was there as of last night because his picture was on the website as available.”

  Lavina had hesitated only a second before she answered, “Well, honey, I just need to find my scarf since we’ll be taking my convertible. The top is definitely coming down! I’ll see you in ten minutes to pick you up.”

  Despite herself, Elise laughed as she hung up. As usual, Lavina was always there for her.

  * * *

  Lavina pulled up as promised in her white Camaro. The horn honked twice to let Elise know she’d arrived. Quickly, Elise locked the door and ran out to the driveway. The top was indeed down, and Lavina glanced over at her with jeweled sunglasses that sparkled in the sunlight. “Come on, slow poke. We have a dog to rescue.”

  “You are the best!” Elise clambered into the seat, wincing slightly at the heat of the leather against her bare legs under her shorts. She looked over at her friend, dressed to the nines in a pink fitted dress.

  Lavina checked the knot of the blue scarf tied at the base of her neck to make sure her hair was secure. “Honey, you ready for an adventure?”

  “Let’s go!”

  Stomping on the gas, Lavina chirped all four tires leaving black marks in the driveway.

  “Lavina! Be careful!”

  “Relax! Don’t be such a control freak.”

  “I don’t think.…”

  “Elise, you don’t even like being a passenger in a car. I’ve seen you stomp the imaginary brakes at an intersection. We’re in a Camaro.” She smiled, flashing white teeth. “That’s the way you do it.” Without waiting for a response, she reached for the volume to blast Adele’s newest CD.

  Elise leaned back in the seat and watched the trees flash green overhead. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Such a beautiful day.

  Two hours later, they pulled up to the town of Northgate’s animal shelter. “Here we go,” Lavina said, grabbing her white purse. She shut the door and minced in her Louboutins up the front steps of the building, belying the way the car had squealed into the parking lot.

  Fluorescent bulbs brilliantly lit the inside. A woman at the counter looked up from her book as they entered.

  Elise wrinkled her nose. A strong stench of animal urine permeated even the front room. From the back came an insistent bark that reverberated over and over, punctuated by soft yips.

  Sorrow wash over her.

  Next to her, Lavina gave her a small nudge towards the counter.

  “Can I help you?” the woman asked. Her hair was threaded with silver and pulled severely back into a
ponytail at the base of her neck.

  “Hello. I called about a dog earlier today.”

  The lady’s lips quirked into an ironic grin. “We get a lot of phone calls about dogs.”

  “Oh, yes.” Elise shook her head, slightly embarrassed. “It was a male dachshund. He was a little older, brown, with a white patch right about here.” Elise pointed to her forehead.

  “Oh, yes. Actually, we did have one matching that description, but he’s gone now.”

  Her heart sank. “Is he….”

  “Oh, sugar. No. This is a no-kill shelter. We have a very high adoptive rate here, and we are rather proud of our record. And, with him being a pure breed. Well, that’s everyone’s first choice. We don’t keep those kinds of dogs long around here. He left just yesterday.”

  Elise’s chest burned with disappointment. So close.

  The woman opened a drawer and rifled through folders. She smiled wryly up at them. “Our system is pretty archaic. Let me see if I can find where he was sent. I have a feeling….” She pulled out a folder and flopped it open on the counter. Licking her fingers, she flicked through the papers then stopped to study one before peeling it from the pile. “Yes, it’s like I thought. He did leave yesterday. Went to the dachshund rescue.” She slid the paper across the counter to them. “This look like your dog?”

  Elise studied the paper and the tiny black and white photo of the dachshund. Her brow wrinkled. There was the white star. She glanced at the address. The rescue was in Fort Orchard, the next town over. “You think we could head over there and see him?”

  “Let me call and find out.” She picked up the phone and began dialing. With her hand over the mouthpiece, she continued, “There will be the standard fee if this dog does indeed turn out to be yours. Although he came in good health, we automatically immunize them. Oh. Hello?” Her voice raised as the call was answered. “I’m calling about that little dachshund you picked up yesterday. Yes, yes, that’s him. I have the owners here looking for him.”

  Elise shifted uneasily at being referred to as the owner.

  “You still have him? Oh? Really? Okay. Okay.”