Killer Crullers (16 page)

“I’m fine, Chet,” she said through her tears.

“Is this woman bothering you?” he asked as he studied me.

“Yes,” she said through her sniffles. “I don’t want to talk about Desmond, but she won’t stop asking me questions.”

Chet took a step toward me, and I could feel the force of his presence radiating like sunlight toward me. In a calm and still voice, he said, “You should leave.”

“We were just chatting,” I said. “I didn’t mean to upset her.”

“But you did,” Chet replied, and took one more step toward me. I had to wonder if he would have tried to intimidate Jake that way if he’d been with me, but if Chet had had the audacity to try it, I knew my boyfriend wouldn’t have backed down. I wasn’t a state police investigator, though, and I really didn’t have any justification for being there other than digging into Desmond’s murder on my own.

“Fine, I was just going,” I said. As I started toward Grace’s car, I turned back to Katie and said, “If you want to help me find out who killed him, call me at Donut Hearts in April Springs any morning before eleven.”

Chet wasn’t impressed with my statement, but he stopped moving toward me, which was a very good sign.

I figured the best thing I could do at the moment was retreat.

“Drive,” I said when I got in the car. At least Grace was off the telephone.

“What happened?” she asked me as she started the engine.

“I’ll tell you as soon as we get out of the parking lot.” I looked back and saw Chet watching us intently.

I didn’t take another breath until Grace drove out of the parking lot. I had a feeling that if I needed to approach Katie again, it wouldn’t be at her place of work. Chet hadn’t threatened me, but I’d still felt intimidated by his presence, whether because of his size, or the way he spoke, I couldn’t say.

After I brought Grace up to speed on my conversations with Katie and Chet, she said, “It sounds as though he’s a little overprotective of her.”

“He’s more than a fellow employee, I’d say, but I’m not sure how much more.”

“Are there any other folks you want to rile up while we’re in town?” Grace asked.

“No, I think that’s it for now.”

As we drove back home, Grace asked, “Did you believe Katie when she said that she and Desmond were on a break?”

“Either she was lying to me, or to herself,” I said. “I’m not sure which answer I’d prefer, but either way, her name stays on our list.”

Grace nodded. “So, it seems that both of our suspects had a reason to want to see Desmond dead.”

“Hey, you know how this works. You get as many facts as you can, and then you go from there.”

*   *   *

I wasn’t looking forward to comparing notes with George. Grace and I hadn’t added much to our knowledge in our quest to find information about who might have killed Desmond Ray.

Grace and I chatted aimlessly on the drive back, and as we entered the town limits of April Springs, I said, “I might as well go ahead and give George a call.”

“You don’t have to,” Grace said as she pointed to a bench in front of the courthouse. I looked and saw George sitting there alone, resting in the sun and rubbing his bad leg. I’d thought he was fine now, but it appeared that his leg was still giving him some trouble.

Grace parked her car and we got out. We weren’t being particularly quiet, but we didn’t even startle George until I asked, “Is your leg hurting again?”

He opened his eyes, and then made a point to stretch, as though he’d been napping. How bad must it be if he was willing to let me think he’d nodded off instead of admitting to the pain? “What? I didn’t hear you come up. I must have fallen asleep in the sunlight.”

I wasn’t going to let him have that particular lie. As I sat next to him, I said gently, “Give it up, my friend. I saw you rubbing your leg. You weren’t asleep.”

“Hey, he said he was napping,” Grace said.

“Yeah, listen to your friend,” George added.

I couldn’t just let it go, though. In a softer voice, I said, “George, I’m just asking because I care about you. You need to tell me if I’m pushing you too hard.”

“You know what? You are right now,” George answered.

I had to laugh. “I’m not talking about interrogating you about your leg, and you know it. I mean asking you to investigate for us. Your health comes first.”

He didn’t like the implication. “Blast it all, Suzanne, I’m not a cripple, or an old man, either.”

It was his pride talking, I knew it. It was time to try another approach. “George, would you tell me the truth about your leg if I asked you nicely?”

“Maybe,” he said.

After a long pause, I realized what he was waiting for. “How’s your leg holding up?”

He nodded. “Usually it feels pretty good, but when it’s going to rain, it throbs a little.”

“Is it going to rain soon?” Grace asked as she sat on the other side of him.

George grinned. “If my leg’s any indication, we’d better get ready for the next Great Flood. I hope there’s another Noah building an ark somewhere nearby.”

I was so pleased he’d admitted his discomfort that I decided to drop it. As long as he was being honest with us, I’d worry less about him.

“I hope you had better luck today than we did,” I said.

“Couldn’t you find either one of them?” he asked. I saw his hand go back to his leg, give it a quick squeeze, and then drop it just as quickly when he realized that I was watching him.

“We found them both, but they weren’t exactly cooperative,” I answered.

Grace grinned as she added, “It was hard for us to make much headway, even with her donut bribe. Allen wouldn’t even take them, and Katie didn’t budge an inch after she accepted them without question.”

“Come on, I can’t believe you two didn’t get anything out of either one of them.”

I shrugged. “Both their alibis were loose and impossible to prove one way or the other.”

George thought about that for a moment, and then nodded. “I might be able to do something about that. I’ve still got a few favors coming to me from the police department, so I’ll be able to see if either one of them has a registered weapon. I’ll check the rest of our suspect list, as well,” George said as he jotted a few notes down in his notebook.

“Is there anything else?” he asked as he finished writing.

“That’s about it,” I said. “There’s really not much left to say.”

“Tell me anyway,” George said. “I’m not ready to get up yet. This sunshine just feels too good.”

I wasn’t sure if that was strictly true, or if George’s leg was hurting him to the point where he couldn’t walk without a limp, and he refused to do that in front of us. But either way, I decided to humor him. “Well, we found a man who was willing to run us off just because he thought we were making Katie a little uncomfortable.”

Grace shook her head. “Now is not the time to understate things, Suzanne. I saw the look on his face as you walked back to the car; you didn’t.”

George seemed interested in that fact. “Could he be a suspect, as well?”

“I suppose it’s possible,” I admitted.

George took out his notebook and asked, “What did you learn about him?”

“Not much,” I said. “His first name is Chet, but I didn’t get a last name. He’s huge, he works construction, too, and he’s overprotective of Katie.”

“That’s a lot,” George said as he jotted the information down. “I can work with that. In an hour, I’ll have a last name to match his first.”

Grace asked, “You’re not going there yourself, are you?”

I hoped not. George could take care of himself, but I wouldn’t send Jake up against Chet without backup, and he was a lot younger than George, and more fit, as well.

He smiled. “Why go there when I’ve got everything I need at the tip of my fingers on the Internet? I’ve got to tell you, since I was injured, I’ve spent a lot of time on my computer. It’s amazing what you can uncover out in cyberspace, if you just know the right places to ask your questions.”

“That’s excellent,” I said. “We’ve shared our information with you, so now it’s your turn. What did you discover?”

“Less than you,” he admitted. “Bill Rodgers was in Charlotte today so I never got to see him. I can’t even find out a way to talk to him, let alone learn where he was when the murder occurred.”

“So, we haven’t had a good day, have we,” I said.

“Don’t worry. It’s early,” George said.

I glanced at my watch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s nearly five,” I said.

He must not have seen my smile, because it was clear he hadn’t realized that I’d been kidding. “I don’t mean in time, but in the course of our investigation. We’ve got some things we can start checking, and new people to investigate.” George stood then, and I saw him steady himself on the back of the bench where we were sitting before he trusted himself to walk just yet. “If you ladies will excuse me, I’ve got someplace I need to be.”

He walked away, fighting not to limp as he did it, which just made it that more obvious.

“He’s hurting, isn’t he?” Grace asked me.

“A lot more than he’s willing to let on,” I admitted. “I’m worried about him, but talking to us was a big step, and I didn’t feel like I could push him any harder than I did.”

“You were a little tough on him, Suzanne,” Grace said softly.

I looked at my best friend. “I admit it, I was. But I knew he’d try to kid us and deflect all day if I didn’t get to the heart of it. Being blunt was the only way I knew I could get his attention.”

“Wow, just don’t try to get my attention anytime soon,” Grace said with a smile.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe, for now,” I answered. “What time are you going out tonight on your date?”

Grace glanced at the town clock high above us. “Actually, I don’t have much time before I have to get ready. Sorry to bail on you again.”

I grinned at her. “Are you kidding? I’m thrilled about it.”

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride back to your Jeep,” Grace said.

“Thanks, but it’s not that far to walk, and besides, George was right. The sun feels good, and we won’t have that much longer until it really starts getting cold around here. I think I’ll hang out here and take it all in while I still can. Have fun tonight.”

“Always,” Grace said. I sat back down and watched her get into her car and drive away. There was a big grin on her face, which I wasn’t sure she could tell that I saw. I was really happy for her, and I hoped it worked out with this guy. She deserved to find a little happiness in her life.

I was still sitting on the bench taking in the warmth of the day when a shadow passed over me, blocking out the sun.

I was surprised when I looked up to find Jean Ray standing there.

“Hello, Jean,” I said. “Care to join me?”

“If you wouldn’t mind,” she replied.

I made room for her on the bench, and as she settled beside me, she said, “I’ve been making arrangements for Desmond all day. It’s really exhausting.”

“You shouldn’t have to do that alone,” I said. “Would you like me to help?”

“Thank you for the kind offer,” Jean said, “but Jenny has stepped in, and I must admit, she’s been a force to reckon with. I’m not sure how I could have done it all without her.”

“It’s good to have someone you can rely on,” I said, purposely keeping my voice level. If I let Jean have any idea what I thought of her niece, I was afraid I would alienate her from me, and having her on my side would be a lot better than having her against me.

“I worry about some of the things she’s saying, though,” Jean said.

I couldn’t wait to hear what that might be. “Anything in particular that’s bothering you?” I asked.

“I shouldn’t say,” she told me, but I could tell that there was a part of her that really wanted to share it with someone else.

“I’m here for you, Jean, and I won’t judge you or her, no matter what you tell me. I’d like to think that we’re friends.”

Jean appeared to think about that, and then finally nodded. “You’re right. Suzanne, I can’t tell you how much joy your quaint little shop has brought me since you opened it.”

“I’m glad to have you there anytime,” I answered, and then added, “Jean, you can trust me, you know that, don’t you?”

“Of course I do, but it’s probably just nothing. My imagination tends to get the better of me lately.”

“What’s troubling you?” I asked.

She was about to answer when Jenny hurried up to where we were sitting. “There you are,” she said, scolding her aunt. “When I turned around a minute ago, you were gone. You can’t just wander off like that.”

“I needed to rest,” Jean said, her gaze shifting to me as she said it.

“Of course you did. You must be exhausted,” Jenny said. “Let’s go home.”

Jean sounded weary as she asked her niece, “Would you mind getting the car, dear? I’ll sit here and wait with Suzanne.”

Jenny appeared to consider that, and clearly didn’t find it to her liking. “It’s not that far, and besides, we have one more stop to make along the way. I promise, we’re almost finished, and then we can go back home.”

I didn’t like the possessive way Jenny kept saying the word “home,” and it was clear that Jean hadn’t cared for it, either.

“I don’t mind staying with her,” I said.

“Nonsense,” Jenny said, putting more force into her words. “Let’s go, Aunt Jean.”

She put a hand under her aunt’s arm, and Jean stood. Before Jenny could drag her away, Jean turned to me and asked, “Suzanne, I hate to impose, but could you come by the house for a visit tonight?”

“I’d love to,” I said.

Jenny frowned. “I’m afraid that won’t work, Aunt Jean. Some friends of mine are bringing over dinner tonight, and I don’t know how long they’ll be there.”

“Tomorrow then,” Jean said.

“We’ll see. It’s going to be awfully busy,” Jenny replied. She turned to me and said, “We’ll call you.”

As Jean was being led away, she glanced back at me one last time. It was clear she was uneasy about something, and I had a hunch what it was. Jenny had been in town less than a day, and she was already running her aunt’s life as though it were her job. Was that why Jean was upset, or was there more to it than that?

I was going to find out, and I wouldn’t let Jenny stop me from seeing her aunt now that I knew she wanted to talk to me.