Blueberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 2) (8 page)

BOOK: Blueberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 2)
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Chapter 16

 

 

 

“I can’t believe you’re having me look into this Dana.” Troy searched through the file cabinet looking at some of the evidence.

“Thanks so much, Troy. I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

“What? You’ll get me another badge after I lose this one?”

“Troy, I…”

“Relax, Dana. I’m just kidding.”

“That’s not funny.”

“You know, you should consider a career in law enforcement or have your own PI agency. You know that?”

“Hey, coming from you, I’ll certainly consider it.”

Troy then pulled out some information from the cabinet and scanned through it. “This is interesting.”

“What is?”

“I think you might be onto something, Dana.”

“Can I see?” Dana inched closer to Troy and she inhaled the sweet scent of his cologne. It was sweetly intoxicating.

For a moment an electrical spark touched her when he brushed her skin with his strong, muscular arm. He sure was enticing. But Dana had to focus on her mission. She was sworn off men—for now anyway. She just couldn’t take any more heartbreak. Besides, Mr. Tall, Dark & Handsome Detective was married—to his work. His dangerous work. Something Dana had no business being a part of. Plus, he’d told her last month that he was no longer into relationships after being burned badly by his ex. Dana could certainly relate to that. Well, at least they shared something in common.

For a moment their eyes locked and her heart turned over in her chest.

Focus, Dana. Focus. Not on him, silly. On the case. On saving your uncle’s hide.

Troy cleared his throat, probably realizing that he was still at the police station and that was no place to be hitting on the relative of a suspect.

“Well, you are right about something. The reports confirm that she bled to death by a substance called heparin.”

“Heparin?”

“Yes, it’s a…”

“Blood thinner.” They both said in unison.

It was amazing that they both were on the same train of thought. But Dana tried not to get too excited about it. She had a lot in common with her ex, too, before they grew apart and well, he ran off with her friend.

“Now the question is…who has access to that kind of medicine? Darlene, my uncle’s secretary. But so did Dr. Cromwell.”

“Doctor who?”

“Dr. Cromwell.” Dana explained to him about the conversation with Bea and the admission by a second-party that a Chester was involved with Karla but she believed that Chester could be Dr. Cromwell.”

“Are you out of your mind, Dana? We can’t go accusing a respectable doctor of some hideous crime? All fingers would point to your Uncle Max.”

“But that’s just it. Uncle Max wouldn’t hurt a fly, Troy.”

“Crimes of passion could surprise anyone, Dana. Especially when love turns sour.”

“But not in this case, Troy. Trust me on this one. I just have a feeling that this Chester person could be involved. Could you at least find out about his status through the college of physicians? Or if he’s had any issues? He’s looking after my auntie after all. If he visits the home often, being that Aunt Mary is usually upstairs asleep, that would mean Karla would have seen him often. Especially when my uncle is away.”

Troy froze. “You know something. You have a point, Dana. You should really consider joining the force. We probably should have brought him in for questioning. I wonder why that was overlooked?” Troy rubbed his forehead.

“I’m going to look into Cromwell’s background, Dana. Promise me you won’t go snooping around in this case.” Troy arched a sexy brow.

“I can’t promise you that, Troy. You know that. But I won’t do anything illegal. How about that?”

He rolled his eyes playfully.

“Hey, what’s this?” Dana said looking at a file with some notes on it. The autopsy report.

“Well, it’s pretty much public now, but this is the autopsy report.”

“It is?”

“Yes, why?”

“But…what is this?” She pointed to an entry on the page about a white mark on the lips of the victim.

“Oh, the victim had some sort of marking on the lips.”

Dana’s body felt buzzed. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?”

“Oh, nothing. I just need to check something out.”

“Please don’t let me regret looking into this for you, Dana.”

“You won’t, Troy. I…I promise.”

God, she hoped that was a promise she could keep. But right now, time was running out.

Chapter 17

 

 

 

Dana pulled up at the address on 23 Willow Way Drive. It was a lonely house near the woods. She wondered why on earth would Dr. Cromwell have his office there. But then again, he was supposed to be semi-retired now. He was only seeing Aunt Mary as a special favor, according to Aunt Mary.

She shut off the ignition and the car stopped with a chugging sound.

“Okay, I really need to get this baby serviced. But please don’t conk out on me now, Bessie,” she warned her car.

She drew in a deep sigh and took out her purse, feeling around for her cell phone to make sure she could call for help if needed. The battery level was only 13 per cent. It would have to do for now. She hoped and prayed it would last her until she had to recharge again. She’d left her charger at home on the counter.

Memo to self: Always keep a back up charger in my purse at all times.

As she walked up the wooden walkway, the board creaked. She stopped, feeling a chill slide over her then she continued, looking around and proceeding cautiously.

When she got to the door, she looked around. She then peered through the window which looked badly in need of a good scrub. A dirt film lingered on its surface.

Dana’s heart stopped.

The place looked abandoned.

This had to be mistake.

She looked at the address again and compared it with the address on the business card that Uncle Max had given her of Dr. Cromwell’s address.

“Hmm. Odd.”

Dana was about to leave when she noticed the door was slightly ajar. “Hello, anyone in here?”

She had to be crazy to go inside but her curiosity got the best of her.

You remember what they say about curiosity and the cat, right?
A little voice in her head warned her.

She switched on her locator on her cell phone so that she could easily be tracked down.

Just in case.

But at the end of the day, a murderer was on the loose in the sweet little town of Berry Cove and she had to help the police find the real killer. And clear her family’s name. Her uncle’s name.

She walked inside and saw a desk in the far corner, a few chairs and a coffee table. Everything looked so dusty. Had anyone even been there in a while? She took her cell phone and took pictures. It looked as if Doc Cromwell might have had a front. Or maybe this was his old office. Maybe he had another office somewhere and didn’t get a chance to update his business cards.

She saw a few files on the desk and a file on Mary Sweet. She also saw a few pictures of some beautiful model-like women lying around. One of them was of Karla.

She gasped.

She then saw tons of papers on the table. A few IDs. They were of profile picture of Cromwell with different names and addresses. Cromwell was much younger in the pictures and had different looks. Some with a beard. Some without. Blond hair. Dark hair. Grey hair. But basically, it looked as if Cromwell was somebody else. He was either a spy or an impersonator.

But before she could do anything else, a hand covered her mouth from behind. She couldn’t breathe.

Then he let her go and spun her around.

“What are you doing here?” Dr. Cromwell asked furiously. Or Cromwell. Or whoever he really was.

“I…I’m sorry. I was just looking…the door was open.”

He sighed. “I guess you know the truth now, don’t you?”

“Cromwell, why did you…why did you kill Karla?”

“You think I killed Karla?” He rubbed his forehead. “You’d better leave, my dear. But first…I’m going to share something with you and it’s not to leave this room.” 

 

Chapter 18

 

 

Dana had just gotten back from the Cromwell’s so-called office, visibly shaken.

She stood in the kitchen baking some blueberry scones to calm her nerves and also, she’d promised Aunt Mary and Uncle Max she’d bring some over this evening.

The sweet scent wafted to her nostrils. The sound of the phone ringing startled her.

She stopped and wiped her hands on her apron and walked to antique brass phone in the dining room.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Dana. It’s Troy.”

“Oh, thank heavens, Troy.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Troy sighed deeply. “Well, you didn’t follow my advice to stay out of trouble for one thing.”

“I didn’t?”

“No. My boys have Cromwell’s house under watch and one of them told me that you were seen leaving not long ago.”

“Oh, Troy. I’m sorry. I just had to ask the doc a few questions.”

“Dana.”

She sighed deeply. “It’s a bad habit, I know.”

“Dana, it’s more than just a bad habit. It’s a dangerous habit. I told you to leave the bad guys up to us. You don’t know how unpredictable guys like Cromwell can be.”

“I know.”

“Anyway, I found out that he wasn’t listed with the college of physicians and surgeons as you probably know by now.”

Dana felt heat rush to her cheeks. “I know.”

“Dana, please. I care about you, don’t go doing anything foolish.”

He cares about me? Troy said he cares about me?

Dana’s heart fluttered in her chest. Her belly felt light with dancing butterflies. Well, wasn’t that something?

Don’t get too carried away, Dana. Troy’s got a lot on his plate these days and if it isn’t dressed up as a homicide case, he probably won’t be interested.

“Well, I’m just going to finish up the scones and head over to Aunt Mary and Uncle Max. I promised I’d bring a batch over. And Troy, what is the penalty for impersonating a doctor?”

“Very severe, depending on the case.”

“I see. Well, I won’t be too long. I’m just going to drop the baked goods off.”

“Is that all you’re going to do?”

Dana didn’t want to tell him that Darlene was going to be there, too and she had a few questions to ask.

She drew in a deep breath.

She decided to come clean. “No, Troy. That’s not all I’m going to do.”

 

Chapter 19

 

 

 

“Hi, Uncle Max, Darlene,” Dana said as she walked into the study at Uncle Max’s house with warm tray of baked goods.

“Oh, they smell delicious,” Darlene said.

“Thank you,” Dana said.

“I’ll get us some drinks.”

“Oh, I’m not staying long,” Dana said.

“You’re not?” Uncle Max looked surprised.

“Oh, no. I…” Dana looked at Darlene and Uncle Max. Darlene seemed very cozy with Uncle Max. She could probably now have him all to herself now that his wife…or his wives were out of the way, right?

Dana drew in a deep breath. She hoped the confrontation wouldn’t backfire on her.

“I…I need to talk to Aunt Mary about something. Is she awake?”

“The last I checked on her. I just gave her a cup of…”

“Warm milk and honey,” Darlene finished uncle Max’s sentence with a roll of the eyes.

Dana gave her a stern look, her lips pressed together. She tried to ignore Darlene’s snarkiness. “Well, I’ll be right back.”

Dana headed upstairs to the top of the landing and made a right turn toward Aunt Mary’s room.

She knocked lightly on the door.

“Come in,” Aunt Mary’s friendly voice called out.

“Hi, Aunt Mary. Can I come in?”

“Sure, Dana. Anytime. What is it, dear? You don’t look too well.”

It was that obvious, huh?

Just then Dana heard the doorbell downstairs ring and heard Uncle Max open it.

“Um…well, Aunt Mary. The autopsy results showed a milk stain above Karla’s upper lip.”

“A milk stain?”

“Yes, Auntie,” Dana said softly. “She had milk and honey. Your favorite drink, the one you like to share with others. I asked my friend Troy if I could see the details of the report—the one that’s on public record and he shared that with me. Her drink had been laced with a toxic amount of Heparin.”

“Well, what does that have to do with me?”

“You take Heparin injections once daily for your inability to move around.”

“Not any more. Doc Cromwell took me off it.”

“Aunt Mary, tell me the truth. You were never on it. And Doc Cromwell never had you on it, did he?”

“Are you out of your mind? That’s crazy?”

“Not really, Auntie. Doc told me everything.” Dana found it hard to lie a little. Doc told her a lot but she needed Aunt Mary to confess the truth.

“What? That low down double crosser.” Aunt Mary sighed. Sorrow clouded her grey eyes. “What exactly did he say?”

“Well, that you were the woman that night when Karla came to his secluded office door.”

“What?”

“Karla saw Cromwell talking to a woman one night. She’d turned up at his office—his so called office unannounced. And she’d called him a liar and asked Cromwell what is
she
doing here? But what Karla meant was that you were a liar, not Doc Cromwell. She saw you up out of your wheelchair, smoking a cigarette and pacing around the room strongly. Fit as an ox.”

“Fit as an ox?”

“Yes, that was the secret Karla had been talking about, wasn’t it? She caught the secret that you and Cromwell cooked this up so that you can play the ailing widow who needs her son, because you are terrified of being left alone—again. The fake doc covered for you because you knew his real identity. You’d bumped into him at the market around the same time Dr. Samuels was no longer your doctor. You had a lot on your mind. You knew Cromwell was a defected spy from Russia and he was now hiding out in Berry Cove. He needed you to keep his secret and you needed a huge favor from him in return. I managed to piece together the puzzle after finding out his background and your background.”

“You figured it out, didn’t you?”

“You sort of gave me some clues. You said you used do some
dangerous and adventurous
work back in the day after the war and you could do a lot. I asked Uncle Merv recently what exactly was it that you did? Not everyone in the family knows, but he knows. And one of Cromwell’s spy covers used to be that of a doc, so he just carried on pretending when he moved to Berry Cove. Not opening to the public of course. But just so that no one questions him. He pretended to be a retired doc and you of course, asked him to pretend to come back to practice for you as a favor. That way no one would suspect a thing.”

“I should have known, my grand-niece, the mystery riddles solver of the Internet.”

“You’re perfectly fit and fine, aren’t you? Always have been, Aunt Mary, according to your previous doctor. But the trouble is not your physical health. It’s your emotional health.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You had developed a severe case of autophobia over the years after your injury from the war. Fear of being alone, don’t you?”

“I do not,” she protested.

“Yes, you do, Aunt Mary,” Dana said softly. “I realize something was amiss when I retrieved your pink reading glasses. They weren’t your usual pair. They were tinted. They were night vision glasses.”

“Night vision glasses.”

“Yes, Aunt Mary. You used to wear them when you were out driving. You had two pairs. That’s when it struck me. You were there that night when my power mysteriously cut off. It was you. You had to retrieve my computer, because Uncle Merv told you that I was looking into the Heparin situation and came across some other clues. You couldn’t risk me pinning it down to you now could you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

“I was alone in the dark and couldn’t see a thing and bumped into an object. It was your walking stick you carry with you in case anyone catches you without it. But you only carried it with you to the house when you broke in to get my information from my laptop. Then you snuck back into Uncle Merv’s house. You drove the old car.”

Aunt Mary said nothing for a moment.

Dana continued, cautiously, “Just as you’d done when no one suspected you when you injected Heparin into your daughters-in-law’s drinks. Each time.”

Just then, Aunt Mary broke down and cried. She covered her face with her hands for a moment and Dana reached out to hug her. Aunt Mary then gently pushed her away and got up out of the wheelchair. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about all of this. I….It’s very hard for me, you know. After Chedrick died. I felt alone as a widow. Isolated. Max was always there for me. He cared for me and took care of me.”

“But Aunt Mary, you have to let him go. He’s a grown man, now. We can’t hold onto our kids forever. It’s not fair to them. They need to fly, just like a bird leaving the nest. So that’s why you killed them?”

“No. Karla told me that she killed Lucy to get her out of the way. I swear to you.”

“She did?”

“Yes. She did. I have faults and I’ll admit to them but murder’s not one of them.”

“So what happened next?”

“Well, she actually threatened to kill me! She told me that she’d do the same to me as she did to Lucy and get me out of her way permanently. I was terrified for my life! I watched one evening as she made milk and honey for the both of us. When I left the kitchen, she brought the tray with our cups on it. She put mine in the blue cup and planned to drink with me at the tea party that Max held so it would look natural. I had no idea that she’d poured heparin into my cup. I assumed she might have spit in my drink when I wasn’t looking or something like that, so that’s why when she wasn’t looking, I switched the cups. Never in a million years would I have thought I could have killed her.”

“You did what?”

“She killed herself with her own poison.” Aunt Mary’s lips were tightly pressed together, her hands folded together and her chin up.

“Oh, Aunt Mary.”

“Is that really what happened, mother?” Uncle Max was at the door.

“Yes, son.”

Troy also stood at the door and gave her a stern look and shook his head in dismay. “Very well, Ma’am. I will need to ask you a few questions.”

“But it was self-defence,” Uncle Max said.

“Withholding information is very serious, Ma’am,” Troy continued.

“I know.”

Dana’s heart squeezed in her chest. She felt her stomach twist into a knot. She still couldn’t believe the situation. Everything seemed so surreal. So unbelievable. So it really was Aunt Mary—sort of. Who would have thought? How was she going to explain this to the family?

Not to mention that Aunt Mary wasn’t really physical crippled, only emotionally crippled.

Oy, yoy, yoy!

 

 

BOOK: Blueberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 2)
10.52Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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