Chapter Thirty
We did keep interviewing Trevor a little longer. Unfortunately, we didn’t get anywhere. In addition, since David didn’t have sufficient grounds to haul Trevor back to the station and charge him with anything, he reluctantly let him go.
Our frustration didn’t end there. For the next day and a half, David and I made no further progress on the case. By then, I was practically pulling my hair out.
Maybe some food would help me think clearer. I began preparing a casserole for dinner. David, meanwhile, went out to check the mail. He returned a few minutes later with a curious look on his face.
“Did we get anything interesting?” I asked.
David shook his head. “Just bills.”
“Those are definitely not interesting.”
“They sure aren't,” David said. “But do you know what is?”
“What?”
“Jim Richards got a motorcycle.”
Jim was our mild-mannered next-door neighbor.
My eyes widened. “Really?”
David nodded. “I know it comes as a complete shock, but yeah. He’s in his driveway right now, admiring his new bike.”
“The same Jim Richards that has been a financial adviser for twenty years and has a closet filled with sweater vests?” I asked.
David pointed at the front door. “Go see for yourself.”
“No, I believe you. He’s just the last person I’d ever expect to buy a motorcycle.”
“Apparently, he has a wild side that we never knew about.”
“I’ll say. I always pictured him as a sedan kind of guy.”
“So did I.”
“I wonder what else we don’t know about him.”
“I’d like to believe that buying a motorcycle is as wild as he gets.”
“Just because you want to believe it, doesn’t mean it’s the truth.”
“You’ve got me there. The truth isn’t always what we expect it to be.”
I nodded. “Especially in Treasure Cove.”
Just then, our conversation was interrupted by the sound of an engine revving. That was followed by the noise of a motorcycle speeding down the street. It was amazing how loud it was.
My mind began to race. Here I was, inside my house, yet I could hear Jim’s motorcycle driving away outside. That thought stuck with me for a few seconds.
My head remained in the clouds until David spoke up.
“Sabrina, what are you thinking?” he asked.
I abandoned the casserole that I had been preparing. “I have an idea.”
David gave me a blank stare. “What are you talking about?”
I grabbed my purse. “Follow me,” I said. “I have a hunch.”
Chapter Thirty-One
I chased down my hunch for a few hours before ultimately heading over to Trevor Franklin’s place with David.
It was safe to say that Trevor wasn’t happy to see us. He didn’t even want to open his front door. But after three sets of knocks, Trevor finally opened up.
Trevor scowled at David. “Don’t you ever give up?”
“What can I say? You can’t get rid of us,” David said.
“Will you just leave me alone already? The case is over. And I have nothing else to say to you,” Trevor replied.
“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” David said.
Trevor narrowed his eyes. “You have a lot of nerve.”
“Not as much as you do,” David said.
Trevor’s eyebrows knitted. “What are you talking about?”
“It turns out the case isn’t over,” David said. “Not yet. But it will be in a moment.”
“I don’t like the tone you’re taking with me,” Trevor said.
“Then you’re really going to hate what we have to say next,” I replied.
“Why?” Trevor asked.
I folded my arms. “Don’t try to play dumb. We know what you did.”
“I have no clue what you’re referring to,” Trevor said.
“The fact that you killed Mark Wilcox and Jeremy Bradford,” I said.
Trevor scoffed. “You’re crazy.”
I shook my head. “No. You’re the nutcase. Thankfully, you’ll be behind bars soon.”
“What makes you think you can come over to my house and throw around crazy accusations without a single shred of proof?” Trevor barked.
“I have to admit. You did a pretty good job of covering your tracks. You made sure there were no fingerprints on the wrench you used to kill Mark Wilcox. And you specifically used a wrench so that the finger of suspicion would be pointed at someone with a connection to Mark’s auto repair shop,” I said.
Trevor replied, “I’m going to stop you right there—”
“I’m not done yet,” I said. “And neither were you. As the investigation stretched on, you felt the pressure building. You probably figured it was only a matter of time before we caught you. So you hatched a plan to throw us off your scent. You killed Jeremy and staged the scene to look like a suicide. You figured when we discovered the cup of bleach and the confessional text message beside Jeremy’s body, that we’d close the Mark Wilcox case,” I said. “But in your haste to leave the scene, you slipped up.”
Trevor snarled. “You’re really reaching.”
“No. We’re spot on. You see, we just finished going door-to-door on Jeremy’s street. Two of his neighbors confirmed hearing the sound of a motorcycle speeding in front of their houses around the time of Jeremy’s death. That was your motorcycle,” I said.
“You can’t prove that,” Trevor said.
“You’re wrong again. We showed those neighbors your picture. One of them got a really good look at you from their window. And that neighbor is willing to testify in court that you were the man riding that motorcycle,” I said.
Trevor became quiet.
“Now it’s time to face facts. We’ve got you. It’s over. Just admit what you did,” I said.
Trevor looked at the ground and didn’t say a word.
I pressed on. “You killed Mark and Jeremy. Admit it—”
Trevor couldn’t keep a lid on his feelings any longer. He snapped at me. “Mark got what he deserved. The man destroyed my marriage. He needed to pay for what he did.”
“And Jeremy?” I asked.
“He was the perfect fall guy,” Trevor said.
“Yeah? Well it turns out your plan wasn’t as perfect as you thought,” I said. “You’re going to be spending the rest of your life in jail.”
I looked at Trevor with disgust as David handcuffed him and hauled him away.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Now that the real murderer had been apprehended, I could breathe a much-needed sigh of relief. I wasn’t alone in that sentiment.
“I’m so glad this case is closed,” David said.
“For real, this time,” I said.
David became defensive. “I know, I know. You were right all along Jeremy’s death and I should have listened to you.”
I replied calmly, “Honey, I wasn’t trying to say I told you so.”
“With the way this investigation turned out, you’d have every right to.”
“David, don’t you know by now that it’s not in my nature to rub your face in things?”
“I know,” he said. “But as gracious as you are, I should really know better by now than to question your instincts.”
“Look. All that matters to me is that we caught the killer.”
“You know, Sabrina, it wouldn’t kill you to take some credit.”
“I don’t care about credit. I care about peace. And I hope that now we can get some.”
“I know what you mean,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt better to have a case behind me.”
I nodded. “This one certainly pushed us to the brink.”
“It nearly pushed me into early retirement.”
“Oh, come on. What would you even do with yourself if you retired early?” I joked.
He smiled. “I’ll bet I could find some things to keep myself busy.”
I remained playful with him. “Are you sure about that?”
“I’ve heard good things about the beach,” he deadpanned. “Of course, I always seem to be too busy to go there. Maybe if I retire, I can actually take a few beach days.”
“David, you can joke about retirement all you want, but how would you pull that off? We’ve been pouring all of our savings into Jessica’s college fund. And you’re still years away from being able to get a full police pension.”
“Fine. Retirement is just a pipe dream. But I could always transfer to a desk job at the department.”
I threw out my arms. “Would you really be happy sitting on the sidelines? I mean, just say another murder takes place—”
David put his hand up. “Whoa, hold up there. Don’t talk about another murder taking place. We just finished wrapping up this case.”
“I was speaking hypothetically,” I said. “Now back to my question. Could you really see yourself stuck at a desk if a killer was on the loose?”
David became pensive.
“You can think it over all you want, but I already know the answer. You’d want to spring into action. Because that’s the kind of man you are.”
“You seem pretty sure about that.”
“It turns out I know you really well,” I said.
He gazed at me. “You sure do.”
“Honey, you’re just worn down. I know, because I am too,” I said. “If you get a few relaxing beach days under your belt, you’ll be ready to tackle anything again.”
He exhaled. “I wish today could be a beach day. Instead, I have a bunch of paperwork to do.”
“I have some work to do as well. You go do your paperwork back at the station. I’m going to tell Melissa that we caught the real killer.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I leaned in and gave him a kiss. “Love you.”
“Right back at you,” he said.
***
While David headed off to the station to book Trevor on murder charges, I made my way over to Melissa’s house.
When I brought her up to date on the latest development, she immediately threw her arms around me and gave me a big hug. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re welcome. But just so you know, David worked just as hard on this case as I did. It was a true team effort,” I said.
“Don’t worry. There’s plenty of credit to go around. I’m just happy this is over.”
“I’m right there with you.”
“It’s still a mystery to me how you do it. How you’ve managed to solve so many cases over the years.”
“Sometimes it’s just about following the clues. Other times it’s about putting the pressure on until the killer slips up. On rare occasions, it’s just about getting lucky.”
“Luck? I didn’t know that still existed in Treasure Cove.”
I couldn’t tell if that was meant to be sarcasm or if she was being dead serious.
When her face remained as stiff as ever, I realized she had been completely candid with me.
“I know that luck hasn’t been too good to you over the years, but it decided to pay David and me a visit at just the right time.”
She squinted. “Just how hairy did things get back there?”
“Let’s just say that it’s better if you don’t know all the details.”
Melissa winced. “It was that bad?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.”
“You don’t have to say a word. Your eyes are telling me everything I need to know.”
“Look. It’s over now. That’s all that matters.”
“No. What matters is that you and David got out of this alive. I couldn’t live with myself if something had happened to either of you when you were just trying to help me.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. We’re fine.”
“I guess luck does still exist, after all,” she said.
“Anyway, enough about the case,” I said.
“Okay. I won’t bring it up again.”
“At this stage, it’s better not to focus on what could have gone wrong,” I said. “Instead, let’s celebrate what went right.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m so relieved that the monster responsible for my brother’s death is now behind bars. But it’s impossible not to think about the fact that Mark is gone…forever.”
“Of course. It’s an absolute tragedy what happened to him. If you need anything, you let me know.
“Unfortunately, what I need is something that you can’t give me—because it doesn’t exist.”
“You mean, a time machine?”
She nodded. “Oh, what I’d give to be able to bring Mark back.”
Right then, a memory of my sister popped into my mind. While it would have been easy to get lost in my own thoughts, I resolved to stay focused on Melissa.
“I know what you mean,” I said.
Melissa stared out into the distance. “We have all this modern technology. We can do so much. But there’s no bringing back the dead.”
“There certainly isn’t.” I gave her another hug. “I’m sorry.”
Melissa exhaled. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“You just need to take life day by day, and eventually things will get better.”
“You’re not just saying that to try and make me feel better, are you?”
I shook my head. “I know it’s hard to believe, but you’ll get back on your feet eventually.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
After all the twists and turns of the case, I wanted nothing more than a return to normalcy. An uneventful dinner at home followed by a few hours zonking in front of the TV was the perfect recipe for relaxation. Thankfully, that was exactly what happened.
When the hour grew late and I got tired of fighting off yawns, I got up from the couch, ready to call it a night. As I made my way into the hallway, I saw some light peeking out from under my daughter’s bedroom doorway. That was not a welcome sight. It meant that Jessica wasn’t asleep yet.
When I opened the door to the room, just as I suspected, Jessica was sitting on her bed, reading a book.
“Darling, it’s bed time,” I said.
Jessica bit the corner of her lip. “Does it have to be?”
“You know the answer to that,” I said.
She grimaced.
I continued. “Jessica, it’s a school night. Now, lights out.”
She groaned. “Can I just finish this chapter?”
I looked at the cover of the book she was reading and my brow immediately furrowed. Jessica was a huge fan of young adult novels featuring plucky teen sleuths. Daisy Clue was her favorite. She had read over thirty books in that series. She almost always had a Daisy Clue book by her side. So for her to be reading something different right then was telling.
“The Life Lessons of Valerie Vickers? But you read that a couple of years ago,” I said.
“I just felt like reading it again,” Jessica said.
It didn’t take a detective to figure out why she was drawn to that book. It was a coming of age novel about a girl’s transition from childhood to adulthood.
“What about your Daisy Clue books?” I asked.
“I’m taking a break from them.”
“Why is that?”
“I’m just not in the mood for a Daisy Clue book right now.”
I took a seat on the bed beside her. “Darling, is this because of the case your father and I just investigated?”
She looked down and mumbled, “I just wanted to read something different.”
“I understand.”
“Can I keep reading now?”
“No.”
Jessica let out a sigh.
“Darling, there’s something I need to tell you. Your dad and I won’t let anything happen to you. Ever. You’re completely safe. I just want you to know that.”
Jessica s
tared at me with wide eyes but didn’t say a word.
“Now it’s time to hit the hay,” I said.
I reached over to grab the book from her, but she pulled it close to her.
“No. Just let me finish this chapter,” Jessica said.
“But you already know how it ends.”
“So?”
“Darling, what you need right now is some rest.”
She gave me her best puppy dog eyes. “Just a couple more minutes. Pretty please.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s bedtime.”
Jessica reluctantly gave in, put a bookmark in her novel, and placed the book down on her bedside table.
“All right. Now let’s get you all tucked in,” I said.
Jessica crawled under her sheets and settled in for bed.
I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Good night, honey. I love you.”
“Night,” Jessica said.
I turned off the light that was on her bedside table and started to move to the doorway.
Jessica wasn’t ready to let me go. I didn’t get very far before Jessica spoke up.
“Mommy.”
“Yes, darling.”
“Is it finally over?”
I turned her light back on and nodded at her.
A look of trepidation was in her eyes as she replied. “For sure?”
“Uh-huh,” I said.
“So everything is going to go back to normal now?”
“That’s the plan.”
Relief washed over her face. “Good.”
“Now go to sleep,” I said.
I gave her another kiss on the forehead and then turned her light off.
***
When I headed back into the hallway, David was standing there, waiting for me.
“Do you really believe that things are going to go back to normal?” he asked.
Clearly he had overheard most of my conversation with Jessica. What was less certain was if the future would be filled with tranquility or turbulence.
“I certainly hope so,” I said.
“So do I, but hoping and believing are two different things.”
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 20