A Time to Live and a Thyme for Murder! (Outer Banks Baker Mystery Series Book 3) (9 page)

As Krissy and her father had a good heart to heart talk later that morning, Melissa fielded a call from Agent Garland with good news for her. The DEA had wrapped up their investigation of her business and home. She was free to move back into her own house, and her bakery was now back in her control. He didn’t reveal if the DEA found anything in either location to help with the investigation, but she assumed they didn’t since she and Logan were innocent of any wrongdoing. As soon as she hung up the phone with the agent, she excitedly called Cheryl. Her friend had also spoken with the agent earlier that morning. She was cleared to move back into her own home too, but Cheryl’s Seaside Sundries remained closed by government mandate.

The aroma of turkey bacon and cinnamon crepes brought Logan back to the kitchen. He had been on the phone with his dad for some time attempting to explain the situation. He left out a few important details like crashing an illegal party and getting hauled into the police station. Logan also failed to mention breaking into the morgue. That information could wait until Dad came out to visit next weekend, or never.

Looking around at everyone, it was evident to Melissa that they were all running on fumes. No one had slept more than a couple hours a night since this whole thing started. Jason sported more grey hairs, even in his beard stubble. Melissa found it added to his attractiveness. However, she made a mental note to check her own reflection for additional signs of grey. She wasn’t ready to relinquish her light auburn locks to grey just yet, even if she was 46 years old.

It was a quiet group that convened around the small kitchen table. Melissa tried to lighten the mood by announcing that she and Logan could move back to her cottage and she could re-open the bakery. The only one that appeared happy about the news was Logan. After overcrowding Jason’s tiny townhouse for quite some time, she figured he’d be ready to get rid of his guests. Even if he wasn’t happy, she assumed Krissy would be gung-ho to get the place back to herself. However, both father and daughter seemed downright sad.

Melissa went on to explain that it would take a day or two to get the bakery back up and running, but she looked forward to getting back to work. With everything going on, and with Cheryl’s restaurant still closed, she offered Krissy a job helping her out in the meantime. She knew Jason wouldn’t want his daughter simply hanging out at home or the beach, especially now with the threatening note she received. Surprisingly, Krissy smiled and readily accepted the offer. They hadn’t known each other long, but that was probably one of a mere handful of smiles she had ever received from the girl.

As Logan and Krissy cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast, Melissa and Jason retreated to the back patio with cups of coffee. He only had a few minutes before he needed to leave for work, but he was anxious to discuss the current situation. “You know that you don’t have to leave so soon. I’ve really enjoyed having you and Logan here,” he said while looking into her eyes. “Even Krissy seems to have adjusted well to your presence here.” Melissa reassured him that she appreciated him opening his home to her and her nephew, but she really needed to be back in her own place. After being an independent woman these last few years, she rather craved her own space at times. However, she affirmed that it didn’t mean she didn’t love him and want to be with him. He shook his head in understanding and offered to help her move back in later that afternoon. Then a strange look came over him as if he just had a brilliant idea. “With the situation with Krissy, I really don’t want to leave her alone at all until we find the creep threatening her,” he stated. Melissa nodded in agreement. She didn’t think it was a good idea either. That had been part of the reason she asked the young woman to work at the bakery with her until Cheryl could re-open her place. Unfortunately, that would still leave evening hours where the girl may be alone with Jason working. Then it hit her! She proposed the idea, even though she realized Jason already had the same thing in mind. Krissy would move in with her and Logan for the time being. She just hoped the young woman would agree. Strangely enough, when the idea was presented to her, she readily agreed. The threesome would move back to Melissa’s that very morning.

With Melissa, Logan, and Krissy busy getting settled in at Melissa’s cottage, Jason went back to the police station feeling a bit better about the situation. However, he knew he had to fill in his partner and Agent Garland about the threatening note and find a way to tell them about the X15 dealers that Tanner found without implicating the young man in anything nefarious. The boy had been wrong to seek out the dealers by himself, but he appreciated his courage in doing so. Logan had called Tanner just before Jason left the house to check on him. Although dealing with a nasty headache and severe nausea, he was okay. The young man explained that he ended up in that dreadful condition because the dealer had insisted on watching Tanner snort the drug to ensure he wasn’t some snitch. He had spent the next few hours hallucinating different things – large bugs, glowing neon waves, and sand that tasted like sugar – before Logan found him. After all the young man had done to help out his daughter, he owed it to Tanner to try to mitigate the legal situation so he wasn’t hauled in for doing drug use.

His partner, Cory, was waiting anxiously for him. Agent Garland had been asking for him all morning. The two detectives knocked on the Chief’s door since the lead DEA agent had taken over his office. Surprisingly, Chief Monroe now ran the local police department out of a cubicle. The old man didn’t appear to mind though. With everything that had happened in Kill Devil Hills over the last few summers, he was eyeing retirement. He’d a slight change of mind concerning all his ‘professional guests’, and decided letting the Feds take over suited him just fine.

DEA Agent Garland was on the phone but motioned them to come in and sit down. If possible, he seemed even grimmer than usual with his forehead creased in frown lines and dark circles under his eyes. Jason wondered if the man ever left the station to sleep. By the looks of him, he doubted it. Tersely ending the call, he looked across at the two detectives. “Fellows, I’ve cleared Mrs. Maples to return to her home and business because we could not find anything else to connect her or her nephew to the case. However, we have multiple bags of bread bowls taken from the dumpster behind her bakery and from the dumpster behind Cheryl’s Seaside Sundries. Forensics is running tests to find out how X15 got into the bread.” He continued, “So far, it appears only bags of Thyme Bread Bowls contained the drug. All other bread products from the bakery have come up clean. Receipts from Cheryl’s restaurant indicate everyone that became ill ordered soup with that particular bread bowl. Apparently, it’s very popular.”

Jason nodded in agreement. Dating the baker, he knew how scrumptious her artisan breads were and most everyone in Kill Devil Hills would agree the Thyme Bread Bowls were perfection! The agent continued his debrief. “However, the only bags found at the bakery to have come into contact with the drug were the ones found with Mr. McCallie’s body. All others were accounted for at the other lady’s restaurant. Right now, we are going on the theory that the drugs were introduced to the breads in transit from the bakery to the restaurant or shortly after arrival.”

Cory interjected, “So Logan Jones – Mrs. Maples’ nephew – usually delivered the breads, right?” Jason resisted the urge to kick his partner at that moment. They both knew very well that Logan would have nothing to do with drugs. Why his partner was bringing his name up again, he couldn’t imagine. Agent Garland nodded, but added that, according to previous testimony, he was not the only one who delivered the breads. Sometimes Krissy Payne picked up the breads on her way into the restaurant in the mornings or in the evenings. She was also the employee responsible for inventorying the breads at night before closing to make sure they had enough for the projected sales the next day. In addition, the young woman had a known relationship with the now deceased drug dealer, Derek McCallie. Jason really didn’t like where this was going. Before the conversation went much further, he requested that Cory leave so he could talk to the agent in private for a few minutes. His partner didn’t seem too pleased with the request, but left anyway.

“Agent, I think there’s some things you need to know before the investigation proceeds,” Jason began. Folding his hands under his chin with his elbows propped up on the desk, he nodded for the detective to continue. Jason explained that aside from being Krissy Payne’s father, he also had a close relationship with the baker, Mrs. Maples and her nephew Logan. It was hardly a huge revelation. Everyone knew that, including the agent, but he nodded for Jason to continue. The detective explained that he realized his daughter was caught up in the case, but he firmly believed in her innocence. Trying his best not to make the situation worse, he told him about the threatening note Krissy received last night. That information certainly perked the agent’s interest.

Thirty minutes later, Jason exited the office feeling a little bit better. The department planned to send an undercover officer to keep an eye on Krissy for her protection. However, she would also need to come back in to file a report for receiving a threat and for more questioning in an effort to determine who could’ve sent the note. He realized she was still under suspicious for being involved with Derek, now that the DEA was certain he was behind the introduction of illicit drugs into the food supply at Cheryl’s Seaside Sundries. Jason left the office with some relief given he felt Krissy would be safer with a cop watching out for her until they could clear up this whole mess.

Krissy arrived at the station with her newly hired attorney, Janice Littleton. Melissa had briefed the attorney on everything that had transpired and everything they knew or suspected up to this point. Even Janice didn’t think the situation looked good for the young woman, but there was no solid evidence linking her to the drug or to Derek’s death so she was confident things would be resolved quickly. Although nervous about reporting the threat to the cops for fear the culprit would retaliate, the young woman put on a brave face. With guidance from Janice on what to convey during questioning, Krissy explained how Derek had been present at Cheryl’s restaurant several nights as she cleaned up before locking up for the night. However, he usually stayed in the back while she tidied up the front counter area. She had also looked the other way when he snuck out a few loaves of bread and some containers of soup since she simply believed he was hungry and had no money to buy food at times. The interview went quickly with the agent instructing Krissy to call him immediately if she received another threat or remembered anything else of importance. On her way out, she kissed her father on the cheek – probably the first time she had done so, since she was ten years old.