Banana Chocolate & Murder Read online

  “That must have been hard,” Heather said.

  "It didn't look like you all got along at all that day on the docks," said Amy.

  “No. We didn’t really. And her assistants were no better. They were like trained puppies, doing whatever she said.”

  “I think that day she mentioned that you didn’t have any employees,” said Heather. “Is that a problem?”

  “No problem at all in regards to your safety. I take out smaller groups so that way I can give more individualized attention.”

  “Then why would she say that?”

  Hank Club cleared his throat. “I have had trouble holding onto employees. Maybe I’m a difficult employer, but if so it’s only because I’m so thorough about my instruction. When I felt a little desperate about not having a staff, I might have approached her assistant Julie to see if she was interested in leaving Shelly for me. She wasn’t. At any price.”

  “That’s disappointing,” said Heather.

  “But then I realized I didn’t need a staff, and that business could go quite well with only me running things.”

  “How has business been?” Heather asked.

  "It's consistent," Hank Club said. "Tons of people have been scuba diving before, and no one had an incident like Shelly. You'll be perfectly safe."

  “How has business been after her death?” Heather asked. “Has it improved?”

  “That’s a strange question to ask,” Hank Club said, suspiciously.

  “She’s obviously stalling,” Amy said. “Avoiding going in the water.”

  Hank Club laughed. "I do know the type. If it makes you feel better, I will answer your question. I think there might be an increase in business with her school gone. There will be less competition in the area. But it's hard to tell right now. People might be scared away from diving because of the incident like you are."

  “That poor woman,” Heather said.

  “Yes,” Hank said. “But I do remember hearing that she had trouble with men. Jealous lovers and that sort of thing. It must have been one of them that did her in.”

  “Oh dear.”

  "Yes. I remember a big commotion at her birthday party. Her assistants had thrown her a party, and there were balloons. They were using it as an event to drum up more business too. It was silly. And something I clearly couldn't repeat. Nobody cares how old I am. But, they had the party. And I think one of the jealous lovers caused a big scene. Very unfortunate."

  “Unfortunate indeed,” said Heather.

  “Now are there any other questions I can answer to assuage your fears and get you into the water?”

  “I do have one more,” said Heather. “Her equipment that killed her must have been sabotaged during the night while nobody was around. Where were you at night? Were you protecting your equipment?”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. My shop is very secure. And yes, actually, I am here very late usually. Yesterday I was here ‘til past one o’clock in the morning. I make sure that everything is taken care of.”

  “Did you work late the night she died too?”

  “Yes,” Hank Club said, narrowing his eyes.

  “And without employees?”

  "Yes," said Hank Club. "Now are we going to go scuba diving or not?"

  “I just can’t,” Heather said, dramatically. “I’m still too afraid.”

  She hurried out the door as Amy shrugged. “Well, I can’t go without her.”

  Outside, they broke into nervous giggles, excited that their ruse had worked so well.

  "He could gain financially from Shelly's death," Heather said. "And he knew what day her birthday was so he could know the combination for the lock."

  “I hope it’s not him though,” said Amy. “I do still want to go diving.”

  “He must think we’re really weird,” Heather said.

  "Well, that's okay," said Amy. "He can think we're weird as long as he's not trying to kill us."

  Heather's phone rang, and she answered it. When she finished the call, she said, "That was Detective Smith. They can't find Dylan Newhart."

  “Why is everyone running away in this case?” Amy asked.

  “Wait a second,” Heather said. “I think I might know where he is. And if I’m right, we better hurry.”

  A Lovely Beach for Fighting

  “How could you do it?”

  “Me? How could you do it?”

  Heather and Amy were nearly out of breath, but her hunch was proved right. They saw that Dylan had arrived on the beach where Tommy was still laying around. The two men were shouting at each other, and it was starting to get heated.

  “I loved her,” Dylan yelled. “And you took her away from me.”

  “You took her away from me,” Tommy yelled back. “Twice.”

  Heather called Detective Smith to alert him of the situation and was pleased to hear that he was in the area as part of his search.

  “They’ll be here soon,” Heather said.

  “I just hope it’s fast enough,” said Amy. “This situation looks ready to explode.”

  “She was the best thing in my life. How could you kill her?” Dylan asked.

  “How dare you accuse me, you lying rat! You’re the one who killed her.” Tommy retorted.

  “Take that back!”

  “I think you’re right,” Heather said. “I think we might have to intervene.”

  Tommy and Dylan were facing off, about to fight each other. Heather ran up to them.

  “Stop it, both of you,” she said. “The police will be here soon.”

  “Then I don’t have a lot of time,” Dylan said, starting to punch Tommy. “I’ll kill you for what you did to her.”

  “I knew you were a killer,” Tommy said, fighting back. “And I’m going to get your first.”

  “Didn’t you understand that we said stop?” asked Amy.

  Heather reached into her bag and found her Taser. She had started carrying it after finding herself in one too many dangerous situations with a killer she was closing in on her. She pointed it at the two men fighting.

  "Stop fighting now, or I'll use this," Heather threatened.

  Luckily, she wasn’t forced to carry through on her threat. Detectives Smith and Peters arrived on the scene and subdued the two men.

  “We’ll take them to the station,” Detective Smith said. “If nothing else, we can hold them for this fighting.”

  “But most likely, one of them is the killer,” said Peters.

  Before they led the two men away, Detective Smith said, “Good work today. Why don’t you call me in a few hours? I’ll let you know what we discovered during interrogation.”

  “Thanks,” Heather said.

  “Was it any better today?” Heather asked.

  Lilly shrugged. “I still don’t know who to sit with at lunch. No one would turn me away from their table, but I’m still not part of any group.”

  "I know that you're likable and friendly. And I know that it takes time to make meaningful connections," Heather said. "But recently I've been thinking about something else too."

  “What?”

  “I’ve been having some trouble finding my new staff for Donut Delights – Key West. Now, these employees need to have certain skills and need to be personable. But overall, I was still having trouble finding people that I felt were right. Then Amy made me realize something.”

  “Even if she makes a lot of jokes, she can be smart,” Lilly said.

  Heather nodded. “She made me realize that I might be comparing the new employees to the old ones. And that’s not fair. I love my Hillside staff. But this staff could be great too. It’s just going to be different. I might have subconsciously been trying to fill the same spots like before. You know how Jung is an archer? Well, we interviewed a juggler.”

  “So, you think you were looking for new Jungs and new Maricelas instead of new employees?”

  “I think I might have,” Heather said. “Not completely. But enough for me to think I should s
top comparing. And I was wondering if maybe you were doing that with new potential friends too.”

  “Like I’m holding back from making friends because they’re not Nicolas or Marlene?” Lilly asked. “Maybe there’s something to that.”

  “Just remember that making new friends doesn’t mean your old ones are any less important,” Heather said.

  “That’s true. But my old friends are pretty great.”

  “That’s definitely true,” said Heather. “But remember, they’re not perfect. Like how they weren’t any help picking out your first day of school outfit?”

  “They were no help at all,” Lilly laughed.

  “Maybe try looking for someone different and see if they’re a good friend,” Heather said. “That’s what I’m going to try at the store. We’re meeting someone with a different background for an interview tomorrow. Most of my employees have been young adults, but this woman might even be older than me.”

  “As Eva would say – age is just a number.”

  “Very true,” said Heather.

  “Thanks, mom,” Lilly said. “It helps to think that I might have been holding myself back from making a new best friend because it’s something that I can overcome. I’m just going to dive right in at school tomorrow.”

  “Please don’t use that phrase,” Heather joked.

  “You’re that against scuba diving now?”

  “No,” Heather admitted. “But it reminds me that I still haven’t cracked the case yet.”

  “Don’t worry. You will.”

  Heather smiled at her daughter. “Thanks.”

  Then her phone rang, and it gave her less hope about solving the case. Detective Smith was updating her on what he had learned from his interrogations. Both Tommy and Dylan still had means, motive, and opportunity. However, Dylan's means wasn't as airtight as they had thought it was.

  Dylan did work for a lab, but it didn’t look as though he had stolen any carbon monoxide from there. The lab didn’t notice anything missing from their inventory. They did inform the detective that Dylan was fired because he wouldn’t show up for work. Most likely, he was skipping work to visit Shelly.

  Heather thanked him for the information. She reminded herself that he still could have gotten the carbon monoxide from a car or other source near his home.

  However, she had to admit that she felt like she was missing something.

  A Cupcake Clue

  “Thank you for seeing me. I was so excited when Digby told me about the job.”

  “We’re happy to meet with you too, Mrs. Lopez.”

  “Please call me Luz.”

  Heather and Amy sat across the table from their newest applicant.

  “The first thing I’d like to ask is what your favorite donut is,” said Heather. “Chocolate?”

  “Oh my,” Luz said. “I’m afraid I don’t have a simple answer. For all desserts, my favorite is usually the one I’ve eaten last. For specialty donuts, the last one I had was a variation on Cherries Jubilee. It was fantastic. Then for simpler donuts, of course, both chocolate and vanilla are sublime. Though if those Banana Chocolate Donuts are delicious as they smell, then I think I’ve found a new favorite.”

  “Please, take one and see for yourself,” Heather offered.

  Heather was pleased. She liked the woman at once. The interview only further proved that she thought they would be the right fit. Luz’s experiences were comparable to what would help her at Donut Delights. She was friendly and competent.

  The icing on the cake was literally icing as Luz had prepared some cupcakes for them to sample her baking.

  “I know cupcakes are different from donuts, but I wanted to show you that I do know my way around a kitchen. These are Tres Leches Cupcakes.”

  “They’re delicious,” Heather said. “What a wonderful idea. Would you mind if I used these as an inspiration to create a donut of this flavor?”

  “I’d be honored,” Luz said. “I haven’t done professional baking before. I’m so excited for this opportunity.”

  “You even have such a cute travel bag,” Amy said.

  “Thank you,” Luz said. “It’s important to have the gear to transport things.”

  “What’s that?” Heather asked. A thought was forming in her head.

  “Because you don’t want your desserts to get squished. That’s why I have the plastic container and the cute carrying bag to carry it in.”

  “That’s right,” Heather said. “How could I have missed it? You need to travel with it. It’s not just air.”

  “What is she talking about?” Luz asked.

  “She gets like this when she’s thinking,” Amy said. “You get used to it.”

  “We have to go,” Heather said.

  “Oh. All right,” Luz said, uncertainly.

  “I mean,” Heather said. “You’re hired. Definitely. We’d love to have you on the team. But I do have to leave now. I think I solved the case. I just need to check one thing first.”

  Julie looked up as Heather and Amy approached her.

  “Hello again,” she said. “Is everything all right? Is the case solved?”

  “It’s very close,” Heather said. “I need to ask you a few more questions about the night before Shelly’s death.”

  “Sure,” Julie said.

  “You saw the man by the boathouse door around midnight, is that correct?”

  “Yes. And I’m so glad it wasn’t Micah,” Julie confirmed.

  “Did you see how the man arrived at the boathouse?” Heather asked.

  “No,” Julie said. “He was already there when I looked out my window.”

  “How do people normally get to the scuba school?”

  “I walk from my house,” Julie said. “If you’re coming from further away on the island, you could ride a bike or drive. There’s a parking lot right before the sand starts.”

  “Is it a long walk from there to the beach?” Heather asked.

  "Not really," Julie said. "I walk further from my house and think it's fine. However, I guess it could be awkward if you're carrying stuff. I see some tourists get frustrated with the trek and are towing a bunch of beach chairs and umbrellas."

  “Thank you,” Heather said, nodding. “That’s what I thought.”

  “I don’t understand,” Julie said.

  “I have one more question,” Heather said. “And I need you to think very carefully about it.”

  Julie nodded solemnly. “I’ll do my best.”

  “When you saw the man outside the boathouse, was he carrying anything?”

  Julie thought about it. “Yes. He was.”

  “Big or small?”

  "Big," said Julie. "Is that important? I can't believe I forgot about it. I thought it was Micah at the time, and I remember briefly thinking why did he have such a large bag with him. If he forgot something at work but had that big bag, then he should still be fine."

  “Thank again,” Heather said.

  She hurried away with Amy at her heels.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” Amy asked.

  “I need to call Detective Smith about what happened,” Heather said.

  "Sure. But first, tell me. What was in the big bag?"

  "I realized that the killer needed to transport the carbon monoxide in order to put it into Shelly's lucky tank. I can't believe I didn't think of it before. It would be difficult to travel by air, and it needed to be pumped into the killer air tank."

  “So, what was in the bag was how the killer brought the poison to the office to replace the good air with?” Amy asked.

  “Yes,” Heather said. “He brought his own air tank and used some sort of pump to get it into Shelly’s tank.”

  “His own air tank?”

  “Yes,” said Heather. “And that’s also how we’re going to prove who it was. With air.”

  Catching a Killer and Seeing Some Sights

  “So, you’ve returned?” Hank Club said as he saw Heather and Amy enter. “You’re ready to finall
y start your scuba lessons?”

  “Sadly, no,” said Amy.

  Detectives Smith and Peters entered as well.

  “Officers, what can I help you with?” Hank Club asked. “Are you interested in diving?”

  “We’re interested in some of your gear,” Detective Smith said.

  “Look, one air tank is missing,” Peters pointed out.

  They looked at the display and saw that one tank was indeed missing. There were seven wetsuits and only six air tanks.”

  “It became faulty,” Hank Club said. “I had to dispose of it for safety.”

  “Convenient,” Amy said.

  “What is this all about?” Hank Club asked.

  “It’s about the murder of Shelly Little,” said Heather. “And we figured out how you did it.”

  “How I did it?” Hank asked. “Are you crazy? It had to be one of her boyfriends who did it.”

  “We thought so for a while,” Heather said. “But it was you all along.”

  “Officer, are you going to let her say these things?”

  “Let’s see what she has to say,” Detective Smith said.

  "Julie saw a man with a large bag near the boathouse the night before the murder. She didn't see how they arrived, but I figured it out. Carrying an air tank and pumps would have been awkward to pull from the parking lot, across the beach, and to the boathouse. And the killer might have been seen during this trek. It would have been much easier to arrive by boat."

  “This is nonsense.”

  “You were able to break into the boathouse because the knob was already loose. You learned that Shelly used important dates for her combinations. After you learned her birthday, you had a good idea of what the combination for the storage closet would be. I’m guessing you had a backup plan in case you were wrong about the combination, but you were lucky and opened it with the code. You wanted it to look like someone who knew her well had committed the crime.”