Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Meredith Potts

  Chapter Six

  By the time Jessica and I finished video chatting, my daughter was in better spirits. That was good to see. Before I went to bad that evening, I prayed that day two at the police academy would be a lot easier for her than day one had been.

  When I woke up the next morning, I went about my usual routine. I took Sebastian for a walk, made breakfast for David, and then headed off to Daley Buzz. Once I was done with work, I returned home and read a book for a little bit until my husband finished his shift at the police department.

  After clocking out, David swung by the house and picked me up. My parents had invited us over for dinner that night. It took less than ten minutes for David and I to arrive at my parents’ green Victorian-style home on Sycamore Grove Trail.

  The moment my tall pear-shaped stepfather, Luke, opened the front door for my husband and I, my nostrils were treated to the delicious aroma of casserole wafting in the air. That was paired with the wonderful smell of garlic mashed potatoes. There was no doubt in my mind that dinner would be fantastic. Sure, the menu was heavy on comfort food. But at a time like that, I could use the comfort.

  My stepfather led David and I into the kitchen where my slim-figured, jet-black-haired mother, Elizabeth, was looking at a square cardboard box on the counter.

  I had a good feeling about what was inside that box. “Did you buy a cake from Mitchell’s Bakery?”

  My mother turned to me and smiled. “Guilty as charged.”

  I shrugged. “What’s the special occasion?”

  My mom smiled. “Are you kidding? I’m retired. I don’t need a special occasion to buy cake.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” I said.

  My mother walked toward me and gave me a hug. “So, how are you doing?”

  “Well, I talked to Jessica last night, and she had a rough first day at the academy. But I have a feeling that she’ll be fine in a few weeks.”

  “Sabrina, were you even listening to me?” my mom said. “I asked how you were doing. Not your daughter.”

  “I’m hanging in there,” I said.

  Instead of responding to me, my mom looked at David. “Is she?”

  David was taken aback by my mother’s question. I could tell he was confused about why my mom had put him on the spot.

  “Mom, I already answered your question,” I said.

  “True. But were you being truthful with me?” my mom asked.

  I threw my arms out. “Why would I lie to you?”

  My mother put her hand up. “Honey, don’t get all bent out of shape. I’m just concerned about you.”

  “Because?”

  “That’s what mothers do. You’re worried about your daughter and I’m worried about you. Now, tell me the truth. How are you really doing?”

  “It has been a rough couple of days,” I said.

  “That’s what I thought.” My mother gave me another hug. “I’m here for you. After all, I know exactly what you’re going through. I remember what a wreck I was when you went off to college.”

  “Really?” I said.

  My mother nodded. “Ask your father. He’ll tell you.”

  I looked at Luke.

  “It was a difficult time, that’s for sure,” he said.

  My mother scoffed. “It was more than just difficult. Let’s be honest here. I cried like a baby for an entire week.”

  “Are you sure you’re not exaggerating a little?” I asked.

  My mom shook her head. “Absolutely not.” Her forehead wrinkled. “Wait. Haven’t you been crying?”

  I quickly tried to change the subject. “Why don’t we discuss something else?”

  “That sounds like a yes to me,” my mother said.

  “Now, you’re the one who wasn’t listening to me,” I said. “I’d prefer to talk about something else. Anything else, really.”

  “Sabrina, you don’t have to be embarrassed. There’s nothing wrong with a good cry. Especially during an emotional time like this,” my mother said.

  I held my hand up. “Let’s get back to you for a second. You said you were a wreck for an entire week after I left for college.”

  “Uh-huh,” my mom said.

  “How about the second week?” I asked. “What happened then?”

  My mother took a deep breath before responding, “Well, slowly but surely things started getting back to normal.”

  “Just like that?” I asked.

  My mom shook her head. “Not quite. Chocolate played a part in my recovery.”

  Luke held his pointer finger up. “A big part.”

  “You’re right,” my mother said. She then looked at me again. “In all honesty, those first few weeks that you were gone was when I perfected my chocolate chip muffin recipe. And with good reason. I probably made six dozen muffins during that time.”

  I scratched my chin. “So, that’s the real reason you sent me that care package consisting of nothing but chocolate chip muffins. You had more muffins than you knew what to do with.”

  My mother nodded. “I sure did. But I have to admit, all that chocolate therapy helped.”

  “Are you saying I should go chocolate crazy then?” I asked.

  “It’s better than going completely crazy,” my mom joked.

  I laughed. “True.”

  Before I got another sentence out, David put his hand up.

  “Can I stop you ladies for a minute?” David asked.

  I shrugged. “Why? We’re on a roll.”

  “I can see that. It’s just that if you keep mentioning chocolate, I’ll want to skip dinner and go straight to dessert,” David said.

  I laughed.

  My mom then turned her focus to the oven. “Speaking of dinner, let’s eat.”

  I rubbed my tummy. “Sounds good to me.”

  Chapter Seven

  As expected, the meal was delicious. In addition, the dessert was absolutely incredible. All in all, it was a fun night.

  After such a pleasant evening, I was ready to head home and get some sleep. Unfortunately, life had different plans for David and I.

  I was in the master bedroom changing into my pajamas when David got a call over his police radio.

  “Uh-oh,” I said. “A call at this hour?”

  David reached for his radio. “Here’s hoping it’s nothing to serious.”

  My husband walked into the living room to take the call in private.

  Meanwhile, I stayed in the bedroom and prayed for the best.

  ***

  A few minutes later, David rushed into the room with a look of shock in his eyes.

  “Get dressed,” he said.

  My eyes widened. “Why? What happened?”

  “There has been a fire,” David said.

  “Where?”

  “Rick Peterson’s house.”

  My heart sank. “Is Rick okay?”

  David shrugged. “I don’t know. The fire department is at his house right now, trying to put out the blaze.”

  “Do they think he’s inside?” I asked.

  “I don’t have an answer for you,” David said. “But I can tell you this. A number of people at the station have called Rick’s cell phone and he hadn’t picked up.”

  My face went pale. “That’s not a good sign.”

  “It sure isn’t. Anyway, we need to get over to his house, right away.”

  I quickly changed out of my pajamas and darted out to the car. David fired up the ignition and floored it over to Lassen Drive.

  ***

  Rick owned a blue Victorian-style home. At least, he used to. As David’s car approached the house, the entire place was engulfed in flames. A fire engine was on the scene. As was an ambulance. A dozen firefighters were doing their best to douse the flames, but the fire was putting up a serious fight.

  David and I got out of the car and watched the firemen battle the blaze. I felt so helpless, standing off to the side, knowing there was nothing I could do.

  It was a difficult thing to watch. A
fter all, everything that Rick owned was inside that house. The longer the fire burned, the more likely it was that Rick would lose everything. That was sad to think about.

  So much so that I had to look away. As I tried to find something else to focus on, I caught sight of another disturbing scene. This one was taking place beside the ambulance that was parked on the street.

  Two paramedics were looking at what appeared to be a body. I approached them to get a better look. When David saw me leave his side, he followed me.

  When we reached the paramedics, we were horrified by what we saw. A dead body was on the ground in front of them, all right. But the corpse had been burned so badly that it was impossible to identify the victim.

  David spoke with the paramedics and got all the details that he could. Apparently, when the firefighters first arrived on the scene, they went into the house looking for survivors. This body was all they found. Unfortunately, the victim was already dead when the firefighters carried the body out of the house. Considering the fact that Rick Peterson lived alone, there was every reason to believe that he was the deceased.

  Chapter Eight

  The firefighters were able to put out the flames a few minutes later. But the damage had already been done. Both physically and emotionally. It had all happened so suddenly. Not to mention, it was a complete surprise. There had been no warning signs whatsoever.

  I was completely devastated by the discovery of the body. As bad as things were for me, however, they were infinitely worse for David. My husband was a complete wreck.

  He began to tear up.

  I reached into my purse and grabbed a tissue for him.

  Soon it became clear that one tissue wouldn’t be enough.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said.

  David wiped his eyes and then sniffled before responding, “You know, there are a lot of ways for a cop to die. But a fire? That’s completely unexpected.”

  I wrapped my arms around him. “I know. It’s a terrible way to go.”

  “Especially considering everything he’s been through during his time on the force. I mean, he’s been attacked, he’s been shot at, and he’s stared down all kinds of danger over the years. So, for him to survive all that only to die in a house fire is just crazy.”

  I nodded. “It really is.”

  “Plus, he was a young guy,” David said. “I mean, I’m older than him.”

  “So am I.”

  “Yet, he’s gone forever.” He shook his head. “It’s not fair. And it’s not right.”

  “I agree.”

  David took a deep breath, but didn’t respond to me.

  I then opened my mouth to speak. Unfortunately, no words came out.

  Finally, after a few seconds, I untied my tongue.

  “You know, I keep trying to figure out the right thing to say. But I think the reason I’m having such difficulty is because there aren’t any words that can express how sad this is.”

  “There really aren’t,” David said.

  “Honestly, there’s only thing that keeps popping into my mind over and over,” I said. “I’m so incredibly sorry.”

  David exhaled. “So am I.”

  My husband then rested his head on my shoulder as we continued to hold each other. Even though we’d have to pull back eventually, David wasn’t ready to let me go quite yet.

  Chapter Nine

  An arson investigator would sift through the ashes and the charred remains of the house to determine the cause of the fire. As for the body that was found inside the home, the medical examiner transported it over to the morgue. The coroner needed to run some tests to be able to verify if the deceased really was Rick Peterson.

  That would take a little while. Especially given the condition of the body. Knowing that it could be several hours before any answers were available, David realized the best course of action was to head home and get some sleep.

  In the morning, both the coroner and the arson investigator would most likely have results to share with us. Not surprisingly, I didn’t get much sleep that night. Neither did David. Even so, I was glad that I didn’t pull an all-nighter. Any amount of shuteye was better than none. Besides, I had the feeling that I would need all the energy I could muster in the next few days.

  When David rolled out of bed, he grabbed his phone and made a few calls. Unfortunately, our worst fears ended up being confirmed. After completing a number of tests, the coroner was able to identify the body. It was Rick Peterson.

  As disturbing as that information was, the examiner had more to share with David. Strangely enough, smoke inhalation hadn’t caused Rick’s death. Nor had the burns on his body. Instead, Rick had died from a stab wound in his chest that had been inflicted prior to the fire taking place.

  If that news didn’t throw David and I for enough of a loop, the arson investigator had some peculiar findings of his own. According to the investigator, he had every reason to believe that the fire had been set intentionally.

  When David got off the phone, he was visibly shaken. He was also very quiet. I understood why. This was a lot to process all at once. But while my husband took a few moments to let things sink in, I had a completely different reaction. I began blurting out everything that came into my mind.

  “This is so awful. I’m absolutely heartbroken. At the same time, I’m also really angry. I mean, it would be one thing if Rick’s death had been an accident. If it had been caused by faulty wiring or something. For him to have been stabbed—that’s just crazy,” I said.

  “I can think of another word for it,” David said.

  “I’m sure several words come to mind—”

  David put his head in his hands. “I can’t believe he’s really dead.”

  I put my arm over his shoulder. “I’m so sorry. This is just devastating news.”

  David put his hands down and stared off into the distance. “Unfortunately, after everything I learned, I don’t even have time to properly grieve Rick’s death. Instead, I have work to do.”

  “I know. If the coroner is correct, it means Rick was murdered,” I said.

  “Not just that. After all, the killer didn’t just stab Peterson. They also set his house on fire to cover their tracks. That’s an entirely new level of crazy.”

  I nodded. “It sure is.”

  “I’m glad the fire department got to the house when they did,” David said. “Can you imagine if they had shown up even fifteen minutes later?”

  “All the evidence could have burned up.”

  “Exactly,” David said. “And we’d have no idea that Rick had been murdered.”

  “Which means the killer probably would have gotten away.”

  David shook his head in disbelief. “What kind of a maniac does something like this? I mean, it takes a seriously twisted mind to come up with such a devious plan.”

  I took a deep breath before replying, “It’s truly disturbing.”

  “It sure is.”

  “Which gives us all the more reason to track this person down and put them behind bars as soon as possible.”

  Resolve came to my husband’s face. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. No one kills my friend and gets away with it.”

  “I know you’re going to do everything you can, but my instincts are telling me this case won’t be easy. After all, Rick wasn’t just one of your friends. He was also a cop. Which makes the pool of potential suspects wider than with most cases.”

  “I can’t argue with that. Peterson arrested a lot of people over the years.”

  “He did, but I was actually talking about something else.”

  David squinted. “What do you mean?”

  “What if there’s a killer out there targeting police officers?” I asked.

  He winced. “There’s a horrifying thought.”

  “I hope I’m wrong. But I can’t dismiss that theory either. Which is why we’re going to have to approach this case with extreme caution.”

  “I agree,” David said.
/>
  Chapter Ten

  Just as David and I were trying to come to grips with the news, my husband got a call on his police radio. It was Deputy Tyler McMurray, who was doing a morning patrol of Rick’s neighborhood. According to the deputy, Rick’s brother, Justin Peterson, had just shown up on Rick’s street, looking for answers.

  David told the deputy that he would be right over. My husband and I left the police station and darted over to Lassen Drive. When we arrived, another surprise was waiting for us. We didn’t just see Deputy McMurray and Justin Peterson in front of the charred remains of Rick’s house.

  There was a third person there as well. David recognized her. She was Melinda Bagley, Rick’s girlfriend.

  Talk about an emotionally-charged scene. As David and I got out of the car, we knew this upcoming conversation would be heartbreaking.

  Melinda spoke first. The forty-two-year-old had a trim body, long blond hair, and a pained look in her blue eyes. “When I turned on the TV this morning, there was a news story about the fire. Once the story finished, I immediately started calling Rick, but he didn’t pick up. So, I rushed over here.”

  “Same here,” Justin said. The brown-haired thirty-six-year-old had a muscular figure and a square face. There was also a look of desperation in his hazel eyes. “The news story didn’t mention if a body had been found. And the deputy wouldn’t tell us anything. We’re hoping you can give us answers.”

  “Was Rick inside the house when it caught fire?” Melinda asked.

  “If so, did he make it out in time?” Justin added.

  “Is he in the hospital now?” Melinda asked. “Please say yes.”

  David grimaced. He then opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out.

  “Detective, say something. I need to know what happened,” Melinda said.

  It took a few seconds, but David found a way to untie his tongue. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I have terrible news to share with you.”