Peach Cobbler Poison

by Diana DuMont

  “Theo Russo, you’re under arrest for the murder of Caitlin Dixon. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”

  The color drained from Theo’s face. “Mitch, what in the world are you doing? I didn’t kill anyone! You know that! Don’t tell me that crazy Josie girl is somehow trying to pin this on me now. And don’t tell me you actually believe her!”

  Mitch only shook his head sadly, his voice breaking as he continued on. “You have the right to an attorney…”

  I watched in a daze, unsure of what to say or do as the officers started to lead Theo away.

  “Mitch,” I said, my voice breaking as well. “What’s going on here?”

  Mitch looked at me with anguish in his eyes. “I’m really sorry. You were right. He had me fooled. He had all of us fooled.”

  And with that, Mitch hurriedly turned to follow the officers down the path, trying to hide the tears spilling down his normally macho face.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Shaken, I made my way slowly back to the parking lot and climbed into my car along with Sprinkles. The afternoon crowds for the tasting room were just starting to pick up, and small groups of people stood gawking at the group of police officers as they lead Theo away. The police cruisers left the winery with their lights flashing and sirens blaring, and I wondered if any of those people knew that the man they were watching be arrested was the owner of the winery.

  A few of them pulled out their cell phones and snapped pictures, and I wanted to jump out of my car, shake them, and tell them that the destruction of a man’s life was not something they should be using to get themselves more likes and comments on their social media pages. But, of course, I didn’t get out of my car. I sat there and watched as the crowds pointed and discussed what they’d seen. The inside of the vehicle quickly felt like a furnace, so I turned the engine on to run the air conditioner. I wasn’t about to roll down my windows and give anyone a chance to come talk to me.

  Eventually, the crowds returned to the tasting room. The excitement was over, and all they really wanted to do was sit around and act like they actually knew which flavor notes each of the Sunshine Springs wines contained.

  I sat there for a few more minutes, unsure of what to do. Finally, I realized that I was wasting gas by idling in the parking lot, and I decided to at least start driving toward home. I tried to hold back a choked sob, but it was no use. As I looked at the winery in my rearview mirror, I wondered how I had been so right about Theo, and then so wrong, and then so right again. Or was it the other way around?

  All I knew was that I felt confused. I had just convinced myself that he was innocent, and that perhaps there was something between us. I had been about to kiss him, for goodness’ sake! I had been about to kiss a murderer.

  Alleged murderer, I told myself. I had no idea why he had suddenly become a suspect again. Especially when Mitch hadn’t even considered him a suspect in the first place. I had to know what was going on, but I had a feeling that Mitch wasn’t going to be in the mood to discuss things with me right now. Unsure of what else to do, I decided to call Scott. I felt a bit guilty as I pulled out my cell phone and hit the call button on Scott’s number.

  I’d had some sort of feelings for Scott. That much was for sure. And he’d had some sort of feelings for me. But I’d been ready to toss all of that aside for the wealthy, handsome winery owner. And now that that handsome winery owner was under arrest for murder, I needed Scott again, so I was calling him. I’m sure he would understand. He’d told me to call him any time, right? Besides, he didn’t know that I’d been on what had practically amounted to a date with Theo. I just wouldn’t mention that detail to him, and would hope he didn’t find out.

  He answered on the first ring. “Izzy?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. Listen, I was wondering if you’ve had any deliveries down at the police station today.”

  “No, I haven’t. Although I was there right when they opened this morning to give a quick statement. Why? You wondering what the news is on Josie?”

  “Well, not exactly…” I could feel my voice starting to break and betray me. I had to stop and take a deep breath.

  “Izzy? Are you all right?”

  The concern I could hear in his voice undid me, and the tears started to flow no matter how hard I tried to stop them. “No, I’m not all right. I mean, I’m not in any physical danger. Don’t worry about that.” I figured that might be where his mind went first, considering the events of last night. “But I was paying a visit to the Sunshine Springs winery just now. You know, trying to get some wine and relax.”

  I laughed nervously, but trying to make a joke out of the whole situation in a moment like this only made me sound more desperate.

  “And? What happened? Are you still at the winery? Are you all right?” I could tell Scott was starting to work himself into a worried frenzy over me. I had to just spit out what had happened or he was going to think that I really was in some kind of mortal danger.

  “Mitch just came in here and arrested Theo.”

  Scott was silent for such a long moment that I thought I might have lost the connection.

  “Scott?”

  He sighed heavily into the phone. “Yeah, I’m here. Mitch arrested Theo? For what? I thought the accounting records for the winery were squeaky clean? Do you think they found something else when they started running a search of the city’s email servers?”

  “No. Or, well, I don’t know. Maybe. But Mitch arrested him for murder. Caitlin’s murder. I don’t know why. I thought they were pretty clear that Josie had done it. But some new evidence must have come to light, because Mitch wouldn’t have arrested one of his best friends unless he was sure that Theo had done something. I was hoping that maybe you’d heard something that would explain what had happened.”

  “No, sorry. I haven’t heard anything. All of the gossip on my route today has been incredibly boring. It’s all just stuff about the attack by Josie last night, which obviously I already know about. And it’s getting annoying having everyone ask me about it a hundred times in a row.”

  “Yeah,” I laughed weakly. “That’s how I felt trying to answer everyone’s questions at the pie shop the day after Caitlin died.”

  There was another long pause, and then Scott sighed into the phone. I could almost picture the look of frustration on his face, and I imagined him running his fingers through his hair in that way he did when he wasn’t sure what to do next.

  “Tell you what,” he finally said. “I’ll try to make some calls and talk to a few people to see what I can find out. I’ll call you back just as soon as I know something. Where are you now?”

  “I’m driving. I’m going to…Well, actually, I’m not sure where I’m going. I was going to go home, but I don’t think I can stand being there right now, just pacing around and waiting to hear something. I think I’ll go to the Drunken Pie and start cleaning up the shattered glass. I’m assuming the police have gotten all the evidence they need from the crime scene by now.”

  “Alright, but make sure you stay around a lot of people. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Apparently you can’t trust anyone in this town.”

  “I guess not,” I said in a small voice. “But I trust you. And I trust Molly. I don’t think I’m wrong for that.”

  “No,” Scott said slowly. “You’re not wrong for that. I swear to you I’m trustworthy, and I know Molly is too. Don’t worry, Izzy. We’ll figure this all out. I’ll call you as soon as I can, or, if I can manage it, I’ll swing by the Drunken Pie. You sure you’re alright until then?”

  “I’m sure. Thanks a lot, Scott. I really appreciate it.”

  After I hung up the call with Scott, I headed to the pie shop. I winced as I parked out front. In the sunlight, the jagged edges of broken glass and the bright yellow crime scene tape looked especially harsh. The guard Mitch had promised me stood in front of the pie shop, scrolling on his cell phone. He lo
oked slightly guilty when he looked up and saw me, and he tried to stand a bit more at attention to look like he’d actually been working. I gave him a dismissive little wave of my hand.

  “No need to act like you weren’t on your phone,” I said reassuringly. “I don’t mind. I’m sure this job has been mind-numbingly boring. Thanks for watching out for my shop. You can go ahead and go now. I’ll be here cleaning things up for the next few hours, and besides, I’m supposed to have a new door delivered anytime now.”

  The police officer, looking relieved, nodded and thanked me before disappearing down the street.

  I stepped into the shop and surveyed the damage. It actually wasn’t that bad. There was glass everywhere, and of course the front door was a complete loss. But a local handyman in town had promised me he’d swing by this afternoon and fix it. He’d even said that I didn’t need to actually be there for him to do the job, which had been nice when I thought I’d be spending the whole day at Theo’s winery. Now, it didn’t matter so much. I had nowhere to be but here.

  Sprinkles whined as he surveyed the glass, and I turned around to look at him. “Yeah, you don’t want to walk across that. You’ll probably cut your paws. Here, I’ll carry you across to where there’s no glass.”

  I reached down and awkwardly lifted Sprinkles in my arms, just like I used to do when he was a puppy. But he weighed about sixty pounds more now than he had as a puppy, and I worried I was going to strain my back. Still, I did my best to hold him and carefully hobble over the broken glass in the front area of my pie shop. When I finally reached an area that seemed completely free of glass, I set Sprinkles down, then groaned with pain as I stood up.

  “You gotta lay off the pie slices, Sprinkles,” I said as I rubbed my back.

  In response, Sprinkles growled. I rolled my eyes at him.

  “Oh, come on. Don’t take it personally. I will fully admit that I probably need to lay off of the pie slices, too.”

  But Sprinkles still didn’t seem amused. Instead, his growl deepened, and he bared his teeth. I felt the hair on the back of my neck starting to stand up, and a slow chill spread down my spine. I turned around to look in the direction Sprinkles was looking, and then let out a little shriek.

  Todd was standing in between the jagged shards of glass in my broken doorway, and he did not look happy.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I found myself automatically looking in the direction of Todd’s hand, thinking that I was about to see a gun. But Todd’s hands were clenched into fists, and I didn’t see any weapon of any sort. He could probably do quite a bit of damage with his fists, but I’d take fists over a gun any day.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as soon as I was able to regain my composure a bit.

  “I think you know.” Todd started walking toward me, that awful, glass-crunching sound echoing across the room with every new step he took. “I want my folder back.”

  For a moment, I considered playing dumb. But then I thought better of it. I didn’t have the folder anymore. If it was the folder he wanted, then maybe he would leave me alone if he realized it wasn’t here.

  “That folder of evidence is down at the police station where it belongs.” I put my hands on my hips indignantly, as though anyone who would keep evidence from the police was a lowlife not worth my time. Of course, I myself hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with the police, but Todd didn’t need to know that.

  The color drained from Todd’s face. “Are you serious? Are you an idiot? You turned all of that over to the Sunshine Springs Police Department? That sheriff they have over there couldn’t see the truth if it slapped him in the face.”

  A day or so ago, I might have agreed with Todd. But I was beginning to change my mind about Mitch. He might still be a bit of a big oaf, and I was pretty sure his knuckle-cracking habit would never stop getting on my nerves. But he wasn’t all that bad. His methods could be a little bit annoying, but he had a good heart. I had to admit he was doing a better job with the whole murder investigation than I’d originally given him credit for.

  I realized with a start that I was defending Mitch in my head. Mitch, whom I’d been sure I would never get along with. Was it possible that I was becoming a true Sunshine Springs local? Despite everything that was going on, the thought made me smile. Todd saw that smile, and didn’t take too kindly to it.

  “Is this funny to you?” he roared. “I’m under investigation for a murder I didn’t commit, and so is Josie. Josie’s sister is dead, and while I was never a big fan of Caitlin, I certainly didn’t want her dead. I know Josie is completely torn up about it. It ruined our relationship. And now all the notes and evidence Caitlin had that might help me prove who the real killer is have been turned over to the bumbling Sunshine Springs police officers, all thanks to you!”

  I hesitated, realizing that Todd must not know that Josie had been arrested. I wasn’t sure how much to tell him. I still saw him as the enemy, and my instinct was to not give the enemy any information at all. But if Josie was the murderer, then Todd was probably innocent. And if Theo was the murderer, then Todd was almost definitely innocent. It was looking like odds were good that Todd wasn’t the one who killed Caitlin. And if he was innocent, then my heart went out to him. I knew exactly how maddening it was to be falsely accused of murder. I decided to at least catch him up on what was going on here in Sunshine Springs.

  “Todd, Josie is being held at the police station. She came in here last night with a gun and threatened to kill me and two of my friends.”

  “What?” Any color that had remained in Todd’s face now completely drained away.

  “I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t realize you didn’t know. She came in here demanding that we give the papers back. We didn’t argue with her. We weren’t really in a position to, since she had a gun and we didn’t. But before she could make off with all the papers, the police arrived. They took her into custody, along with all of those papers.”

  Todd eyed me suspiciously. “You can’t be serious. Josie with a gun? I don’t think she even knows how to use a gun!”

  I gave a dry little laugh. “Well, I think you’re right about that. Which is probably a good thing for me and my dog here. If she’d known how to actually aim and use that thing, we’d probably both be dead right now.”

  Todd sank into one of my café chairs. All the fight seemed to have gone out of him. “I don’t believe it,” he murmured. He didn’t seem to really be talking to me. He was staring off into space, and I got the feeling that he was desperately trying to fight away tears. It was a few moments before he managed to compose himself and look back at me.

  “Does this mean that Josie is actually the one who killed Caitlin?” His voice trembled as he spoke, and I felt sort of sorry for him. This whole situation was quite a bit more personal for him than it was for me.

  “Well, it certainly seems that way after last night. But now I’m not so sure. I was down at the Sunshine Springs Winery about an hour ago, and while I was there the police came and arrested Theo. So it’s looking like maybe your original theory was correct, and that Theo was stealing money from the city. I’ve said all along that he had the strongest motive of anyone to kill Caitlin. But right now I don’t know any more details other than that Theo was arrested for the murder. I don’t know if that means Josie’s name has been cleared or not.”

  Todd rubbed his forehead. “God, I hope her name has been cleared. I suppose she’ll still be in trouble for trying to shoot you all. But since she didn’t actually shoot you, hopefully she’ll be in less trouble than she’d be in for murdering someone. I’ve been trying to get a hold of her all day today and she hasn’t answered. Now I understand why. Yesterday, when I realized my papers were missing, I thought maybe you all had taken them somehow. I called Josie and asked her to check into it. I never imagined that she would go crazy like that, or I never would have called her.”

  “She is under a lot of stress right now,” I said gently. “People do some crazy thin
gs under stress.”

  “I suppose you’re right. I myself have been a little crazy the last few days. I’m not normally the kind of person who would run away from the law, especially when I know I’m innocent. But I was starting to feel suffocated in this town. That’s why I tried to escape to San Francisco, but I guess my escape didn’t work out so well. You followed me there and then stole my evidence.” Todd slumped in his chair.

  “I didn’t exactly follow you there. I was in San Francisco for something else, and just happened to see you. But I do understand what you mean. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought of making a run for it myself.”

  Todd nodded, but he looked dejected. “I wish I hadn’t lost all those documents to you and then the police. Some of them, like the photographs, I have the original files for and can easily reprint. But others, like the emails and account records, I wouldn’t know how to replace. Caitlin had somehow gotten them from an anonymous source.”

  “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I do think that Mitch has turned out to be trustworthy. I know, I know,” I said, raising my hands defensively as Todd gave me a look that said he thought I was crazy. “He does come across like a bit of a buffoon. But he has been there in moments when he was truly needed. And the fact that he actually arrested Theo makes me trust him. Theo was one of his best friends, but he still arrested him when he found hard evidence against him. I just have no idea what that evidence was.”

  Todd still looked doubtful. But before he could answer me, the sound of more crunching glass at the Drunken Pie’s front door drew my attention. I looked up, expecting to see the repair man who would fix the door. Instead, Scott stood there. My heart leapt at the sight of him. It was pretty clear at this point that Todd wasn’t going to hurt me, but it was still nice to have a friend nearby—just in case.