by Cindy Bell
“And she and Nina are pretty good friends.” Ally frowned. “But I can’t see Diana doing this, can you? She seems so frail. What if Nina did it to protect her?”
“Shh.” Charlotte looked towards the kitchen. “We still don’t have any proof. Knowing who it likely is, isn’t enough. We need to have a way to prove it.”
“Maybe we do have a way.” Ally’s eyes widened as she looked over at her grandmother. “As Jeff said, if there was a camera up on any of these apartments then the person breaking in would have been caught. Our theory is that perhaps someone is breaking in to these apartments to find evidence of who the killer is, or the killer is breaking in to find something.”
“Which still doesn’t make complete sense to me.” Charlotte sighed.
“No, it doesn’t, but if that’s two of our theories, then maybe the person is still going to look for whatever they are looking for. We might find the killer or the robber, or both. If we can set up a hidden camera on one of the apartments that are left from the list, then we might just find our killer.” Ally smiled.
“That’s assuming that they haven’t found what they are looking for. I mean, maybe the break-ins have stopped because they found what they were looking for.” Charlotte gazed up at the ceiling for a moment. “But, if whatever it is hasn’t been found yet, this is the perfect opportunity, you’re right. Setting the trap might prove to be impossible, though. We don’t know for certain whose apartments are being broken into. At first, we thought it was people in the class, but Jeff wasn’t in the class.”
“No, but you were.” Ally sat forward in her chair. As her feet struck the floor she felt even more determined that she was on the right track. “Jeff is connected to you. Maybe, for some reason the person went to Jeff’s house instead of yours. Did he mention receiving any kind of delivery?” She met her grandmother’s eyes.
“A delivery?” Charlotte pursed her lips as she searched her memory. “Oh. Oh no!” Charlotte clasped her hand over her mouth for a moment, then slowly lowered it. “Oh, Ally.”
“What is it, Mee-Maw?” She crossed the distance between them.
“It couldn’t be.”
“Just tell me,” Ally insisted. “Whatever it is, I trust your instincts. You’re not going to be able to ignore it.”
“Jeff said that Diana stopped by his apartment with one of her giftboxes. It’s the only gift he mentioned receiving. I know the evidence is stacking up against her, but it’s just so hard for me to believe. Why would she hide something in a box of chocolates? Why would she deliver it to Jeff?”
“She didn’t find it in his apartment, did she?” Ally narrowed her eyes.
“No, because he re-gifted it to someone else!”
“It actually makes sense. Think about it, Mee-Maw. All of the people that have been broken into were connected to the class in some way, and Diana was in that class as well. But she hasn’t been broken into, has she?”
“No, but some of the other students haven’t and neither have I...” Charlotte frowned.
“She didn’t give you a gift. I mean I doubt that she would give your own chocolates back to you and she didn’t give you a giftbox. Let’s say that somehow evidence that she was the murderer is in one of those gifts. I have no idea why she would put it in there, but let’s just say that it is. Of course, she’s going to want to try to get it back. Most people wait until Christmas to open their gifts, so maybe she hoped she could get it back before anyone saw it.”
“If that’s the case, as terrible as it is, then she needs to be caught. She’s already killed once, and who knows what she will do if she doesn’t find what she is looking for. Maybe she will stop just breaking in and take it a step farther. Or what if someone catches her?” Charlotte squeezed Ally’s hand. “We have to find out for sure as soon as we can. Especially if Nina is involved.”
“I have an idea. Why don’t we pick someone’s apartment who is in the class, someone who has not been broken into, yet. Someone that received a gift. We can mention the name to Nina and maybe she will tell Diana. We’ll say that they are excited to open their gift from her and can’t wait until Christmas to do it. That will make her need to search the apartments urgent, if she put something in the gift. We can set up a camera outside of the apartment and even stake it out ourselves to see if she tries to break in.”
“I don’t know.” Charlotte’s heart pounded. “It makes me nervous to think of making someone vulnerable to a break-in, or even worse.”
“If she shows up, we’ll find a way to distract her, to stop her from going in at all. The person will never be at risk. In fact, I know the perfect person to set up.” Ally’s eyes shone with determination. “Beth.”
“Beth?” Charlotte sat forward some. “Why Beth?”
“Because she’s our other suspect. So, if Diana never shows up to break in, we’ll still get a record of things Beth does during that time. Maybe she will do something to implicate herself.” She shrugged. “It would be like killing two birds with one stone.”
“Why would I ever want to kill a bird?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
“I love you, Mee-Maw.” She hugged her. “You always make me smile.”
“You too, my love. Now, if we’re going to do this, we’d better get it done tonight. I know that Jeff was looking into cameras to purchase for his apartment, and for mine, so I’ll check with him on what we might be able to get.” She pursed her lips, then shook her head. “Such a shame that it’s coming to this. But whoever did this probably thinks they got away with it, now that Trudy is in jail. We can’t let that happen.”
“I believe she’s innocent, too, Mee-Maw, but the only way we’re going to get her out is if we find out who really did it. I’ll make the comment to Nina. You go check on things with Jeff, and we’ll meet up near Beth’s apartment after closing. Okay?”
“Yes, sounds good.” As Charlotte headed out the door, she felt enlivened by the thought that they might catch the killer. The sensation was dampened by the possibility that it would turn out to be a friend.
Chapter 16
As Ally prepared to close the shop, she noticed that Nina was quiet.
“You know, I do hope that Diana brings me one of her boxes to put on display.” Ally smiled as she closed out the register. “Everyone is saying how nice they are. Earlier today, Beth said she was going to open up her box tonight and eat up all of the chocolates. I’m sure they will taste so much sweeter because they came in such a beautifully designed box.”
“That’s nice of you to say, Ally.” Nina smiled. “If I see Diana I’ll be sure to tell her that you want one.” She pulled out her phone as she headed out the door. “I’ll be here first thing in the morning.”
“That’s all right, take tomorrow morning off. I don’t want to wear you out.” Ally grinned.
“Thanks!” She waved to Ally then stepped out the door, as she was typing. Ally couldn’t help but wonder if she might be texting Diana to let her know about Beth’s intentions. If that was the case then their plan had worked, but it also meant that Nina was involved which she didn’t want to believe. As she finished up with the shop she received a text from Charlotte.
Jeff already had some cameras and we figured out a way to hide them. We’re already set up near Beth’s apartment. You should go home and rest, too many people here will draw attention.
Ally frowned and texted her back.
I don’t want you there by yourself, Mee-Maw. I’ll be there soon. I just want to feed Arnold and Peaches.
On the drive home, Ally’s heart raced. This was it, they might find out the truth. She arrived at the cottage in a rush. As she hurried to feed Peaches and Arnold, she barely noticed how restless they were. On the way back out the door, she picked up Peaches for a quick kiss. The cat purred and rubbed her cheek against Ally’s. Ally put Peaches on the floor. Peaches stared up at her. Then she began to pace back and forth across the floor in front of the door. It seemed as if she was trying to stop her from leaving.
“Peaches, honey, it’s okay I promise.” She crouched down and took a moment to pet the cat. Arnold wandered over to soak up some of her affection, too. “I’m sorry, guys, I’ve been so preoccupied, and I know that you must wonder what’s going on. Hopefully, it will all be over tonight.” She kissed them each on the top of the head, then stepped out of the cottage. On her way to Freely Lakes she remembered the way Arnold had snorted at the list she dropped on the floor, and Peaches’ reaction to the picture of the Blue River Belles. Had they been trying to tell her something? She laughed as she realized how ridiculous that seemed.
As she parked, her cell phone rang. She saw that it was Luke, and decided to take it. She didn’t think much would be happening yet on the stakeout.
“Hi sweetie.”
“Hi love. How are you doing?”
“Okay, I guess.” She sighed. “We think we might have a new suspect.”
“Oh? Have you told the chief about it?”
“No, not yet. I think he has a problem with me for some reason.”
“Oh yeah, that might be my fault.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I had just been on a conference call with him when we talked, and you made that comment about his hair. Somehow the calls were still connected.”
“Are you serious?” She groaned. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, I wish I was. I think his ego took a hit.”
“Luke!”
“Try not to worry about it, I’m sure he’ll get over it. I’m still working on a ticket.”
“Hopefully, you’ll work something out.”
She hung up the phone, mortified by Luke’s revelation, and headed into Freely Lakes.
“Just go, Jeff. I can handle this.” Charlotte frowned as she tried to guide him towards the elevator.
“If you’re going to be here, I’m going to be here, too.” He locked eyes with her and raised an eyebrow. “Any questions?”
She opened her mouth to let him know that she did have a few things to say about that, but before she could speak, there was a noise at the end of the hallway.
“Just come here.” She huffed and pulled him back behind a large plant. There was barely enough room for two. When she peered through the leaves she saw what the noise was caused by. A figure had come out of the stairwell. Whoever it was wanted to avoid the elevators. That was unusual at Freely Lakes, as the stairs were usually only used during emergencies and fire drills. As the figure approached, she was disappointed by the fact that she couldn’t make out much about it. It could have been a woman, or a small-statured man. There was no indication of age. The person was dressed in dark clothing with a hood pulled down low to cover their features, and blended with the shadows at the edge of the hallway. When the person reached the door of Beth’s apartment, Charlotte’s heartbeat quickened. This was it, this was the moment when she would find out the truth.
“We should go now.” Jeff started to step out from behind the plant, but Charlotte placed a hand on his arm to stop him.
“Not yet,” she hissed. She wanted to see the person actually try to break into Beth’s apartment. Otherwise they would still have no proof. She wasn’t sure that the camera would take a clear enough picture, and with the disguise the person was wearing, there would be no way to prove who it was. Jeff nodded, and slid back against the wall. The figure glanced around. Were their voices heard?
Charlotte held her breath. If even a leaf on the plant fluttered, she was sure that they would be caught. A second later, the figure turned back to the door. Charlotte could hear the sound of the person’s attempts to pry through the lock. She was about to nod to Jeff, when the door to the apartment flung open.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Beth shouted at the person. She had her robe tied up tight around her, and a baseball bat in her hands. “Get out of here!” Beth swung the bat, but missed, as the person ducked. The person stumbled backward, and tripped over the carpet.
“Beth wait!” Charlotte jumped out from behind the tree just as Beth was about to swing the bat down against the criminal’s head.
“Charlotte?” Beth dropped the bat in shock. Jeff followed right behind Charlotte. “Was it you?” Beth stared at them. “Are you the cause of all of this?”
“No! It was this person!” Charlotte leaned down and tugged the hood up off the face of the figure on the floor. Her eyes widened as it revealed Diana’s face covered in tears.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” She held her hands up in the air. “I never meant to cause any trouble.”
Charlotte crouched over her. “How could you do this, Diana? Why?” Up until the very last moment, she hoped that Diana would prove to be innocent. She was shocked to see her friend lying there.
“I’ll call the police.” Jeff pulled out his phone and began to dial.
“I’m not saying another word. Not another word!” She shook her head.
“Oh Diana.” Charlotte sighed. “Martin might not have been the greatest man, but he didn’t deserve to die.”
“Mee-Maw!” Ally ran down the hall towards her. “What happened?”
Charlotte kept a close eye on the woman on the floor as she filled Ally in on what had happened. Beth paced back and forth, the bat still in her hand.
As police officers began to flood the hallway, Ally realized that it really was over. But just as she began to relax, she caught sight of another figure, one she recognized. Nina stood at the entrance of the stairs, then ducked back out of sight. Ally chased after her without a second of hesitation. She caught up with her at the lobby, just as the chief walked in. Ally grabbed her by the arm and held her tight.
“Nina! What are you doing here?”
“Ally? What’s going on?” The chief crossed his arms as he looked between the two women.
“Chief, she was in the stairwell, I believe she was part of all of this.”
“Not exactly.” Nina gazed down at her feet. “I really wasn’t, Ally.” She met her eyes. “Diana came to me, she told me the truth about what she’d done, and begged me for help.”
“So, you helped her break into the apartments?” Ally asked.
“I did but I didn’t hurt Martin, I didn’t!”
“Withholding information about a crime and covering up for it after makes you an accessory.” The chief turned her around and began to cuff her.
“She had no one,” Nina mumbled distractedly. “She was just so lonely. How could she ever survive in prison?”
“Did you call in the anonymous tips to the police with evidence to implicate Charlotte Sweet?” the chief asked.
“I’m sorry, Ally.” Nina frowned as she was led away by an officer. “I knew Luke would have been able to get her out of it. Diana had no one.”
“Terrible. How could you?” Ally shook her head and stared at her as she was led away to one of the police cars. She imagined that with Nina’s testimony the police probably wouldn’t even need a confession from Diana.
“Are you coming?” The chief held the elevator door open for Ally. Silently, she stepped inside. It was awkward to stand beside him, knowing that he was likely angry with her. She was certain that he would have a problem with the fact that they were involved. In her mind she ran through the speech that she was sure he would deliver.
“You never should have mounted a camera, you put Beth at risk, you should have left the police work to the police.”
As he sauntered out of the elevator to join the others, she mentally prepared herself for what would come next. He assessed the scene, then spoke to Diana.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
One of the officers helped her to her feet.
“Nina, Nina will help me!” she gasped.
“Nina has already been arrested, Diana, and if you want to do anything to help her, you need to tell the truth.” The chief fixed her with a steady gaze. “Why did you do it?”
“He was going to sell my apartment. My home, it
was all I had. I tried to reason with him. I went over there with a gift for Trudy and Martin, but I really just wanted the excuse to beg him for my apartment. But he laughed at me, called me pathetic. I guess he was still angry from his fight with Victoria and Trudy. He shoved me and told me to get out of his apartment. I snapped, I grabbed the scissors from the counter. I just wanted him to stop shoving me!” She blinked back tears. “He was going to take everything from me!”
“And then what?” Ally stepped up beside her grandmother. “You left him there?”
“Yes, I went back to my place. I was in a panic, I didn’t know what to do.”
“Why did you break into all of the apartments?” Charlotte asked.
“When I got back to my place, I got changed and there was a knock on the door. I had no idea who it was. I didn’t have any time to hide the scissors properly. So, I tucked it into one of the boxes of chocolates and put it aside to take care of later. When I opened the door I expected to find the police, but there was Andy. He was dropping off my paint brushes. He insisted that he help me deliver the boxes. I think he likes me, he was always trying to help me. I refused at first, but he insisted. I thought it might help me with my alibi if I was with someone around the time of the murder.” She shook her head. “The box with the scissors was off to the side, but Andy must have mixed them up! I didn’t even know it, until I got back and the box was gone.”
“So you broke into the apartments to get the weapon back?” Ally asked.
“I did, Nina helped me. I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone found the scissors. But I couldn’t find it. I took some random items to try to cover up what I was looking for.” She wept as her body trembled. “I feel terrible. I just wanted to keep my home.”
One of the officers led her away as she continued to cry. Ally slipped her hand into her grandmother’s. The chief turned to face them.
“Although, I have to say that I’m impressed with the little scheme you came up with, and in the end it did work you never should have done it. You put everyone at risk.” He scanned his gaze across Charlotte, Ally, and Jeff. “Unfortunately, there’s that one thing that’s still missing. It would really make our case against Diana much stronger.”