Cranberry Glazed & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 10 Read online

  Scratch was now sitting in the interrogation room, while Heather, Amy, Ryan and a miffed Miss Marshmallow looked through the two-way mirror at the suspect.

  “Well, I certainly got my workout today,” Heather said. “I’m not too happy about that, but that doesn’t mean that he’s guilty.”

  “Miss Marshmallow doesn’t like him,” Amy said. “I think he might have done it.”

  Miss Marshmallow growled again.

  “We can’t bring her into the interrogation room,” Ryan said. “Not like that.”

  “I bet the chief will watch her,” Heather said with a smirk.

  Chief Chet did agree to watch the “widdle tweasure,” and the others went into the room to talk to Scratch. Amy sat down and got ready to take notes, while Heather and Ryan sat down and faced the man.

  “I didn’t do anything,” Scratch said. “Why am I here?”

  “If you didn’t do anything, why did you run away from us instead of speaking to us?” asked Ryan.

  “Because cops are always causing trouble for me,” Scratch said.

  “Do you think maybe that has something to do with the robberies you were a part of?” Heather asked.

  "I haven't done nothing recently, and you're threatening me with tasers," he said in a huff.

  “Mr. Wilkerson, we’d like to talk to you about Melanie Grayson,” said Ryan.

  “Who?” he asked.

  “You would know her as Mallory Gray,” Heather said.

  “What about her?” asked Scratch. “Is she trying to blame something on me? She always tried to do that. Anything to save her own skin.”

  “Well, it didn’t work this time,” said Amy.

  “What was that?” asked Scratch.

  “I’m afraid Miss Gray slash Miss Grayson is dead,” said Heather.

  “She was murdered,” said Ryan. “And we’d like to find out who did it.”

  “Mallory is dead?” Scratch asked. “I can’t believe it. I just found her. I just talked to her last week.”

  “Yes. We heard about that,” said Heather. “You went to her workplace and harassed her.”

  “That’s not what happened,” said Scratch. “I came to Key West to find her. It took a long time to track her down. She was using a different name as you know. But I remembered when we were together how she talked about her dream place to retire. I eventually found her."

  “And you came all the way here,” Heather said. “What were you expecting to happen?”

  “I just wanted to talk to her about old times,” said Scratch. “But she was ignoring me. So, I went to her job because I didn’t think she’d be able to ignore me there.”

  “And after she rebuffed your romantic attempts, you got upset and decided to kill her?” asked Heather.

  “I didn’t kill her,” Scratch said. “I didn’t kill anybody.”

  “Why did you track her down?” asked Ryan.

  “Like I said, to talk about the good old days.”

  Detective Peters entered the interrogation room.

  “You were right, partner,” he said, laying a file in front of Ryan and Heather.

  “Mr. Wilkerson, I’ve just obtained some interesting news,” said Ryan.

  “Oh really? And what is that? Your kid partner got invited to prom?” Scratch asked.

  Peters looked mad but said, “No. He just found out that you belong back in jail.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” said Scratch.

  “Oh really?” asked Ryan. “Because it looks like a liquor store in Atlanta was robbed for quite a bit of money, and the thieves match the description of both you and Miss Gray.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Scratch.

  “You’ve avoided getting caught for two years, but killing your partner is what finally led to your capture,” said Ryan firmly.

  “I didn’t kill her,” Scratch said, losing his swagger. “I might have done some of the other stuff. But I didn’t kill Mallory, I swear.”

  “Why should we believe that?” asked Heather.

  “Look. I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but you’re not going to pin a murder on me,” Scratch said.

  “Did you rob the liquor store?” Ryan asked.

  “Yes,” Scratch said, looking down. “Mallory and I did it. We decided that we kept getting in trouble for smaller things, so we might as well try something big. And we got a lot of money too. But then she started feeling all guilty about it. She said taking thousands of dollars was different from taking a perfume bottle.”

  “So, she left?” Ryan asked.

  “I told her to get a pet to calm her down, but it didn’t help. And then one day she just disappeared. And she took all the money too.”

  "I bet that made you mad," said Heather.

  “Of course it did,” Scratch said. “And I’ve been looking for her for two years because of it. Not every waking moment of the day, but I did search. And then I finally found her, but she wouldn’t take my calls.”

  “So, what did you do?” asked Heather.

  “I went to her job and made her talk to me,” said Scratch.

  “You wanted her back?” asked Peters.

  “No,” said Scratch. “I wanted my half of the money.”

  “But you didn’t get it?” asked Heather. “That’s why you’re still in town.”

  “Right,” said Scratch. “She said she didn’t have it. She said she returned what she didn’t use to move here. Can you believe that?”

  “I believe that must have made you furious,” Ryan said.

  “I told her that she better come up with a plan to get me my share of the money or I was going to tell all her friends about who she really was,” said Scratch.

  “You were blackmailing her?” Peters asked.

  “After what she did to me, she deserved it.” Then Scratch amended, “But I didn’t kill her. I thought I’d let her sweat for a week or so and then see what she came up with.”

  “Is that why you wanted to meet her in the park?” asked Heather.

  "No," said Scratch. "I didn't set up a meeting. I didn't think she would have the money yet if she were living the straight and narrow life. I was just enjoying my time on the island, and was planning on meeting up with her soon."

  “Were you enjoying the island Monday afternoon?” Ryan asked.

  “Monday I hung out at my hotel for a while and then I went for drinks that night,” Scratch said.

  “Can anyone verify that statement?” asked Ryan.

  “I don’t know,” said Scratch. “But it’s the truth.”

  The investigators finished their interrogation and then discussed it in the hall.

  “What do you think?” Heather asked.

  “I have enough to hold him on robbery charges,” said Ryan. “So we have some time to figure out if he’s the killer or not.”

  "Miss Marshmallow didn't like him," Amy reminded them. "And dogs have a sixth sense about this sort of thing."

  “She might not like him because he was someone that Melanie didn’t like anymore,” Heather pointed out. “And not because he’s a killer.”

  “Or she might not like him because she senses that he strangled her owner,” Amy rebutted.

  "The hair we found at the scene isn't his," Peters said. "If he did jail time, then it would have shown up in our search."

  “But the hair isn’t necessarily related,” Ryan said. “It’s possible that the hair was lost earlier in the public area.”

  “Scratch certainly has a motive for killing her,” Heather said. “But would he have written that note?”

  They all pondered the possibilities.

  Doggie Dinner Discussion

  After figuring out what Miss Marshmallow ate, the next dinner was a lot calmer. She was content to eat at her bowl, and Dave found the food so disgusting that he left her alone.

  Dave sat next to Ryan and laid his head on his foot. He wanted to be nearby to the dinner table to collect scraps, but it also seemed l
ike he wanted some manly moral support. It was as if he was saying in his own doggie way, “You were able to impress Heather? How? How do I impress this lady dog?”

  Ryan was focusing on his tacos and was not much help. Amy and Jamie had joined them for their meal, and they had all listened to Lilly tell them about her day. She had kicked a scoring run during a kickball game and thought she was making new friends. She still missed her best friend from Hillside, Texas but thought she might ask some new friends over to play one day.

  “We’d love to meet them,” Heather said.

  "Just as long as they don't stay here and never leave like our Miss Marshmallow guest," teased Amy.

  Jamie had been quiet during most of the meal, and Amy turned to him. “Are you okay?”

  "I just feel bad that this happened," said Jamie. "I was too focused on my business opening up, and I didn't realize that someone needed my help."

  “There’s no way you could have known,” said Heather. “Just because it was by the park doesn’t mean you could have heard it. And the killer made sure that no one was watching.”

  "You did everything you could afterward," said Amy.

  “But I wish I could have done something before,” said Jamie.

  “It sounds as if Melanie Grayson was happy when she visited the van,” Heather said. “And if she took the heart to be a real romantic invitation, then that makes sense.”

  “She was dressed up,” said Jamie. “It might have been like she wanted to look nice for someone.”

  “She had no idea that he wanted to kill her,” said Heather. “And because she had no inkling of it, there was no way that you could have been suspicious.”

  “Thanks,” Jamie said. “I had been feeling bad about this.”

  “I’ve been telling you it’s not your fault,” Amy said.

  “I know,” Jamie said.

  “But you had to hear it from Heather to believe it?” Amy asked with mock anger.

  “Well,” Jamie said. “You love me. You would say that.”

  “I thought I’ve been pretty clear that I speak my mind,” Amy said, and everyone laughed.

  "That's especially true when you let me know your feelings about the dog," said Jamie. "You think she's spoiled and entitled, and high-maintenance."

  "Well," Amy said. "She's not too bad for a furball."

  They were just about finished their meal, and Heather asked Lilly if she would mind bringing in the donuts.

  “Not at all,” Lilly said with a smile.

  “And take your time,” Amy said. “So we can have some murderous discussions.”

  Once Lilly was out of the room, Jamie asked, “Do you have any leads?”

  “We discovered that Melanie Grayson was also Mallory Gray, a woman escaping from a robbery she committed,” said Heather.

  “But she did feel bad about it,” said Amy. “It looked like she was trying to change her life, and she told her ex-partner that she returned most of the money.”

  “And her being on the run explains why her home and office were so bland,” said Ryan. “She didn’t want anything to give her away and trace back to who she really was.”

  “Do you think the partner did it?” asked Jamie.

  "He certainly had a motive," said Heather. "And his alibi is very weak.

  “Weak like a baby in an arm wrestling competition,” said Amy. “Plus, Miss Marshmallow hates him.”

  “Dogs are very good at judging someone’s character,” Jamie noted.

  “That’s what I said!” said Amy.

  “But,” Heather said. “He admitted to everything else. Why not admit to the murder?”

  “A murder charge is more serious,” said Ryan. “Maybe he thought we’d believe him more if he confessed to other things. It might make him look more sincere.”

  “He’s not going to get any money from Melanie slash Mallory if she’s dead,” said Heather.

  “But maybe she was never going to give him the money,” said Ryan. “He got angry and used the leash that she was holding to carry out the deed. It might not have been premeditated.”

  "And the shoe prints?" asked Amy.

  "They're only partials, so it's not definitive," said Ryan. "But his size feet could have made those marks."

  “We’re forgetting about the note though,” said Heather. “It was written on a heart.”

  “Maybe Scratch was being mean,” said Amy.

  “No,” said Heather. “She thought it was from someone that she liked and trusted. Otherwise, she would have been nervous about the meeting.”

  “She didn’t look nervous,” said Jamie. “She looked happy.”

  “So, maybe Scratch wrote the note pretending to be somebody else,” said Amy.

  “Maybe,” said Heather. “But then who did Melanie Grayson think the note was from?”

  “We still need to find the lover,” Amy said.

  “Exactly,” said Heather. “And I think looking at the office again is a good place to start.”

  Lilly returned with the dessert and Heather handed out the Cranberry Glazed Donuts. Everyone was very grateful for their yummy snacks, except for Miss Marshmallow. She turned her nose up and it and swatted it away.

  The donut piece landed near Dave, and he happily ate it. He both loved the snack and thought it was a token of love. He headed over to Miss Marshmallow who stopped looking bored and hid behind Lilly.

  “She really doesn’t like donuts?” asked Heather.

  “That’s the strangest part of this case,” said Amy.

  Back to the Office

  “Back again?” Kim asked as she saw the investigators enter the office. “Did one of our buildings have something to do with Melanie’s death?”

  "No. It doesn't look that way," said Ryan. "All of your clients do appear to be happy, and the buildings are designed to code."

  “That’s good to hear,” said Kim.

  “Yeah,” Amy said. “You could probably use that endorsement in a review.”

  “But something here does have something to do with her death?” asked Kim. “Besides the building plans?”

  “Possibly,” Ryan said. “That’s what we’re here to find out.”

  Kim looked at the four investigators solemnly. “I want to help, but I don’t know what to say. Did you find her ex?”

  “Yes,” said Ryan. “And he is a viable suspect, but there are still some loose ends that we need to tie up.”

  “Firstly, did you see Scratch any other times besides when he showed up that day at the office?” asked Peters.

  “No,” said Kim. “I only saw him here once.”

  “Maybe he really was just sipping margaritas on the beach instead of killing anyone,” said Amy. “Or maybe he was staying out of sight before he completed his kill.”

  “You said that you were here all Monday afternoon?” asked Heather.

  “That’s right,” said Kim. “And both of my bosses can verify that. Junior was in his office a lot, and Jason was on the phone. But they were both there.”

  “The last thing we need to know about is the romance that you suspected,” said Ryan.

  Kim blushed. "I think I was all wrong about that though. I don't want to spread gossip if it's false."

  “You’re not gossiping,” Heather assured her. “You’re expressing your observations. We’ll make sure we validate anything before we use it as evidence. But telling us what you thought of Melanie’s behavior will be helpful. Everything is in a murder case.”

  “Okay,” Kim said. “But as I said, I think I was wrong about it now. Because Melanie was always so private and shy. And then after that visit from her ex, she said she was done with men.”

  “But before that?” Ryan prompted.

  "I thought that she and Jason were into each other," she said. "They'd smile a little too much when they saw each other. And the way they spoke to each other, I thought there were feelings there."

  “But they never officially said that they were dating?” asked Peters. />
  “No,” said Kim. “But they wouldn’t have told me anyway. Why is this so important?”

  "We found a note written on a piece of heart-shaped paper," Ryan said. "We want to know who sent it to the victim, and who she thought she was meeting."

  “I don’t remember seeing a note like that,” said Kim. “And I don’t know if Jason would send anything like that.”

  “What’s going on here?” Junior Burdey asked, bursting into the middle of their group. “I really must protest this.”

  “Protest what?” asked Amy.

  "You keep coming here and bothering my employees. We're trying to run a business, and we're a person short," Junior said.

  “We know,” said Amy. “That’s kinda why we’re here. To find out what happened to her.”

  “I gave you all the paperwork I had on her,” said Junior. “And I allowed you to take what she had on her desk. That is truly all the help we can offer. I know her death had nothing to do with us.”

  “How can you know that?” asked Heather.

  “Because we are a reputable business and have nothing to do with murderers,” said Junior. “Now, please, I’d like you to leave. You being here might make my brother sick again.”

  “Where is your brother?” Ryan asked. “We’d like to talk to him.”

  “There’s no reason for that,” said Junior. “Even if someone was repeating untrue gossip about him.”

  “Then why was he so sick when we were first here?” asked Amy.

  "Because he was saddened and repulsed to learn that our employee was dead," said Junior. "He was the one who hired the woman, and I think he felt responsible for her."

  “How thorough a background check did you do on her?” Heather asked.

  "I'm not sure," said Junior. "My brother handled that at the time, but she was a very capable worker while she was here."

  “Then we’d like to speak to him even more,” said Peters.

  “Look, we’re all very upset about what happened to Mallory, but that’s no excuse to shut down our business and try and accuse my brother,” Junior said. “He’ll talk to you if he sees fit, and until then I want you to go.”

  “No,” Jason said, overhearing and joining them. “I’ll speak with them.”