Sweet Suspects (The Donut Mysteries) Page 2

  He hadn’t moved when my lights hit him. Could he be asleep? I parked out of the way of any potential traffic that might come down the road and I got out of the Jeep, my heart in my throat as I walked toward him.

  “Hello? Excuse me. Are you okay?” I called out before I could get a good look at him.

  There was no response, and as I got a few steps closer, I could see why.

  Someone had stabbed the man in the chest with one of the spears I’d seen at the reunion just a few short hours ago. I hadn’t been able to make out the weapon earlier because of the poor light, but that wasn’t the most disturbing thing about the crime scene.

  It was someone I knew.

  When I realized that Zane Dunbar was the murder victim, I realized that it was time to call the police, no matter what the ramifications of that conversation might mean to my friends and me.

  Chapter 2

  “Chief Martin here,” the police chief said as he answered the phone at the police station.

  “What are you doing up at this hour?” I asked. I knew that the chief rarely worked nights, preferring to be off when my mother was available for a date. He’d worked hard to woo her, and I knew that the man never passed up the chance to be with her.

  “Got a bit of insomnia so I thought I’d come on in and make good use of it,” he admitted. “What’s going on, Suzanne?”

  “I hate to tell you this, but I just found a dead body near the donut shop,” I said.

  After a moment’s pause, he said, “Are you serious?”

  “I wish I were kidding, but unfortunately, I’m not,” I said, still shaking a little from just discovering Zane’s body. I didn’t think that I’d ever get used to stumbling across someone who had just been murdered. As a matter of fact, I hoped that I never did. No matter who the victim might be, no matter how awful a person they seemed, nobody deserved that kind of end, and it never failed to shake me to my core. “It’s Zane Dunbar, and it appears that someone stabbed him in the chest with one of those ceremonial spears they used during the reunion last night. As close as I could tell, someone pinned him to the bench with it, and before you ask, I’m pretty sure that he’s dead. He was cold to the touch, anyway.” I shivered again as I remembered checking for a pulse and not finding even the slightest flutter of motion under my fingertips.

  “I’m on my way. I don’t have to tell you not to touch anything, do I?”

  “No problem there,” I said. “I’ll see you soon.”

  Much to my relief, the chief was there in less than a minute, screeching to a halt near my Jeep and rushing out of his car. “Hey,” he said as he hurried over to Zane to check for a pulse himself. I didn’t blame him. I might have easily missed something; after all, I was no trained professional.

  Instead of immediately saying anything else to me, the chief got on his radio. “Call for an ambulance in front of Donut Hearts,” he ordered.

  “Did you find a pulse?” I asked, hoping against hope that I’d been wrong.

  The chief shook his head in my direction as he continued, “After that, I need the forensics team out here on the double.”

  The dispatcher said something, and the chief responded, “I don’t care what time it is. Get them all out of bed, and I mean right now.”

  Finally, Chief Martin turned to me. “Sorry you had to find him like this, Suzanne,” he said, his voice suddenly softening. Since he’d been dating my mother, his attitude toward me had changed quite a bit, and if I were being honest about it, mine had toward him as well.

  “I still can’t believe this happened,” I said.

  The police chief shook his head in sadness. “It seems to occur all too often around here these days. I don’t know what happened to the quiet of small town life.”

  “Honestly, was it ever really all that quiet?” I asked him.

  “Probably not,” he admitted as the first squad car and an ambulance both approached us. The chief looked at me and added, “We’re going to be really busy over here, so if you want to go in and get started on your day, I’ll come by a little later and bring you up to speed.”

  It wasn’t a dismissal: more like an invitation that I really appreciated. “Thanks. I’ll bring some coffee over as soon as it’s ready.”

  “That would be much appreciated,” he said, so I started inside. As I went in and flipped on a few lights, I headed for the coffee urn and flipped the switch. There was a chill in the air outside that had nothing to do with the murder, and I knew that the chief and his staff would appreciate something to warm them up. Ordinarily Chief Martin wouldn’t take anything free from me, but he made an exception every now and then. As the coffee brewed, I went about my morning trying to find some order in a pretty chaotic beginning. It was a real comfort to me to have something to do. Though it wouldn’t eliminate the image I still had etched into my brain of Zane Dunbar pinned to the bench with a decorative spear, it might help me suppress it long enough to get on with my life. Death was no stranger to me anymore, but that didn’t mean that I had to like it.

  I flipped on the switch for the fryer since the oil needed time to heat up, and then I laid out some of the basics I’d be needing for my first task that day, making the cake donuts. A great many people would have been surprised to learn that the cake donuts and the yeast ones required two completely different processes. It was one of the reasons that I had to get up every day at such an inhumane hour, but I couldn’t imagine not offering both types of donuts to my customers every day.

  I had a rough idea about how long the coffee would take, and sure enough, when I walked back out front, it was ready. Transferring it to one of my largest carafes, I grabbed some cups as well and set up the pot to brew another batch when I was ready for it. I wished that I had some donuts to offer them as well, but it was a rule at Donut Hearts that we never kept donuts from one day to the next, starting off fresh every morning. It was too bad this morning, though.

  I walked across the road, surprised how quickly I’d gotten used to the warmth of the donut shop. It was indeed a chilly morning, and as I reached the crew of detectives, I coughed to let the chief know that I was back. He was deeply engrossed as he studied the murder victim, and I wondered just what he was looking at. I had no formal training when it came to investigations, but what I did have was a willingness to ask questions, and to listen to the answers I got. I’d found over the years that it was a talent that not many folks, inside of law enforcement and not, possessed.

  “Coffee’s ready,” I said. “Should I go ahead and pour?”

  “Just put it all down over there,” he said, never looking up from the body. “Thanks.”

  “My pleasure,” I said as I did as I was told and walked back across the street. There was a bustle of activity that belied the time of morning, and I was just as glad to be heading back to a world that I was very familiar with.

  “What’s going on over there?” my assistant, Emma Blake, asked me as she walked into Donut Hearts a little later. I’d gotten a late start because of everything that had happened, so I still hadn’t finished the batter for my cake donuts yet.

  “You’re going to want to go call your dad,” I said, and then I brought her up to speed on what had happened earlier. I’d thought long and hard about advising Emma to phone her father, but in the end, I decided that it was the right thing to do. Ray paid a bounty for news, even to his own daughter, so at least she’d get something out of it. I could have called him myself, but I knew that Emma was saving money again, this time not for college, but for a trip to Europe, and I was glad to do anything I could to help, especially since her mother had agreed to help me out at Donut Hearts in Emma’s absence.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “I don’t have to.”

  “Call him before someone else beats you to the finder’s fee,” I said.

  That was all it took. With a grin, she said, “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

  While she was gone, I put the finishing touches on the last bit of batter and sta
rted frying the first batch of donuts. By the time Emma came back in, I was rinsing out my heavy dough dropper and preparing for another batch, this one spiced pumpkin. It was one of my best sellers, and I often toyed with the idea of keeping it on the menu year-round, but I wasn’t sure they would still be special if I did that.

  “I’ll do that,” she said.

  “I’ve got it. Go ahead and set up the front.”

  “Thanks.”

  As she started to leave, I asked, “What did your dad say?”

  “He thanked me, and then he told me to thank you,” she said.

  “Why thank me? I didn’t do anything.”

  “We both beg to differ. Should I flip on the coffee pot so we can give some to the police?”

  “I’ve already taken some over,” I said, “but I could use some caffeine myself, so flip away.”

  “Will do, boss,” she said.

  As I finished the last of the cake donuts and started icing them while they were still hot, I called out to Emma, “It’s safe to come back now.”

  “Good,” she said as she walked in. “I want to get started on that first batch of dishes before we’re ready to take our break.”

  We always took a break when the yeast donuts were going through their first proofing, a routine that had become habit over the years. “Do you ever get tired of washing dishes and cleaning up around here, Emma?” I asked her.

  “Let me ask you something instead of answering you directly. Do you ever get tired of making donuts?” she asked with a smile.

  “No, not really.”

  “Me, either. I perform a needed and useful task, and I’m part of the team that brings smiles all over April Springs and beyond. How could anyone ever get tired of that? Besides, you let me listen to whatever music I prefer at the moment, and I have time to think deep thoughts when I’m buried up to my elbows in warm, sudsy water. In a lot of ways, this is the perfect job for me, Suzanne.”

  “I’m glad that you feel that way,” I said as I started adding flour, salt, and yeast into my large stand mixer.

  “I am, too,” she said. “Do you think they’ll still be out there when we take our break?”

  “It’s a murder crime scene; I have a hunch that they’re going to be there awhile.” I looked at the donuts resting on the drip trays as I added, “As a matter of fact, I made extras, so let’s take a dozen across the street on our break. How does that sound to you?”

  “I think it’s really nice,” she said. “Maybe we can even get a little inside scoop while we’re there.”

  “Emma, let’s leave the questions to your father. I’d really rather not get involved if I can help it.”

  When I looked at her, she just grinned at me. “What’s so funny?”

  “Suzanne, forgive me, but is there one chance in a hundred that you’re not going to end up investigating Zane Dunbar’s murder?”

  I shook my head sadly. “We both know the answer to that, don’t we?” I had other reasons besides curiosity to figure out why someone had killed Zane. I hadn’t liked the way Grace’s face had turned so pale the night before when he’d whispered something in her ear, and I had a hunch that my best friend might be considered a suspect the moment that Chief Martin found out about the exchange. I was sure he would soon start interviewing witnesses from the reunion, no doubt starting with Officer Stephen Grant himself.

  The dough for the yeast donuts was ready to proof, so I covered the top and then I grabbed a tray of donuts. “I’m going to box these up, and then we can walk over there together.”

  “I’m way ahead of you,” Emma said as she pulled out a folded box all ready to fill.

  As we walked through the kitchen and out into the front, I tucked the donuts under my arm and reached for the door. One glance outside told me that Ray Blake was still over there talking to the police chief. I hoped that Chief Martin didn’t blame me for it, but it couldn’t be helped. I needed the head lawman’s cooperation, but that didn’t mean that I owed Emma anything less. Hopefully Ray wouldn’t make a scene when we got over there, but I wouldn’t put it past him. The man believed in his heart that he was a grizzled old newshound, even if his paper did feature more advertisements than stories. Honestly, what newspaper didn’t these days? Still, he pressed folks around April Springs a lot harder than he probably should, and one day it was going to backfire on him.

  I just hoped that day wasn’t today.

  CHAPTER 3

  “Sorry, but I can’t chat. I have a story to file,” Ray said as he blew past Emma and me. I knew that he was in a hurry because he didn’t even try to grab a free donut from the box I was carrying.

  “Hang on a second, Dad,” Emma said. “I want to talk to you.”

  “That’s fine, but you’d better make it quick,” he said.

  “This is important,” Emma answered, and the two of them stepped away from the crime scene and closer to Ray’s car.

  “Do I even have to ask you how that just went?” I asked Chief Martin as he approached.

  “I’m pretty sure that you can use your imagination,” he said.

  “I brought donuts for you and your crew,” I said as I held them out.

  “You know how I feel about taking freebies from anyone,” the chief said reluctantly as he studied my offerings.

  “I get it, but this is different, Chief.”

  “How’s that?” he asked.

  “If you don’t take them, I’ll just have to throw them out,” I said. I had a policy that once a donut went into a box, it never touched my shelves again. I knew that there was nothing wrong with these donuts, but it was a rule that I stuck to, no matter what.

  “Well, we can’t have that,” he said as he reached for the box. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said. I gestured to where the body had been slumped over earlier. One of Chief Martin’s officers was unbolting the entire bench from its concrete foundation. “Are you taking everything?”

  “We have to; it’s evidence. Don’t worry. Parks and Rec will be coming by in an hour to replace it. You don’t want that reminder staring at you every time you walk out the door anyway, do you?”

  “No, I think that it’s a fine idea to remove it all at that,” I said. “Have you learned anything new since I was over here earlier with the coffee?”

  “You know how it goes, Suzanne. We collect all of the information that we can and then we analyze it later. Right now we’re just trying to make sure that we don’t miss anything.”

  I pointed to two officers making an ever-widening circle around the bench, studying the ground in front of them carefully.

  “What are they hoping to find?”

  “Well, I won’t lie to you. A clue would be nice,” he said. “I really wish that you had a security camera out front.”

  He’d made the same suggestion half a dozen times in the past, but I’d always had to say no. “I’m running a pretty fine line between red and black ink as it is. A security system would put me over that line farther than I’d be comfortable with.”

  “I get that,” he said. “The good news is that we should be finished up before you open.”

  “That’s great,” I said, and I meant it. The last thing I needed was a full-scale murder investigation going on across the street from my donut shop. The chief was right. I didn’t need any more reminders than I already had about what had happened to Zane. The memory of finding him was more than enough to give me nightmares.

  “We do what we can,” he said.

  I was about to say something when the officer working on removing the bench called over to us. “Chief, if you’ve got a second, I could use a hand.”

  “Be right there,” he said, and then he turned to me. “Duty calls. Thanks again for the donuts.”

  “It was the least I could do,” I answered.

  “No, the least you could have done was stand over there in the window and watch us work.”

  “I’ve always been more of a doer, myself,” I said, regar
dless of what Zane had said to me the night before. “You know that.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” he said with a slight smile.

  After the police chief went over to help remove the bench, I started back to the shop. Emma caught up with me before I made it to the front door.

  “What was that all about with your father?” I asked her.

  “Dad’s being stuffy about me going back to college again,” she said. Ray hadn’t been all that thrilled when Emma had come home, and he hadn’t been shy about sharing that opinion with her on a nearly daily basis.

  “What did you say?” I asked as I unlocked our front door.