Death by Strawberry Cupcake Page 6

  “No, I think the killer went out the back door.”

  I really had no way of knowing that for sure, but I wasn’t going into any of the rooms. I just wanted to take a peek around.

  “Someone else could be here and injured,” I said.

  This would be my only opportunity to get in here and look for a clue. If I let this chance slip away now, then I wouldn’t be another chance.

  “You go ahead and wait for the police. I’ll be right out as soon as I check.”

  “If you’re sure,” she said. “I still think it’s a bad idea.”

  She didn’t wait any longer though for me to change my mind. She hurried for the door. When she had stepped outside, I rushed down the hallway. All the doors were open, with two on the left and one the right. Plus, one at the end of the hallway.

  I tiptoed down the hallway, hoping that no one was actually there. My heart beat fast as I approached the first door. Mustering up all of my courage, I peeked over into the room. Furnishings in the room consisted of a bed, nightstand, and a chair in the corner with the lamp behind it. Just a regular bedroom. Nothing special to see there. I continued over across the hall to the next room.

  This room just had a desk and a couple of chairs. A few boxes were stacked up in the corner. They were using it as an office and storage. Perhaps something might give me a clue in there, but I needed to check the other rooms first. I’d come back to this one. I had to hurry though because the police would be here soon. No sound came from any part of the house, so I assumed I was the only one in here. At least I hoped that was the case.

  Once at the desk, I quickly scanned of the top. It was pretty neat, and nothing stood out right away. An address book was all I saw, but it was pretty pointless. I’d spent enough time in here and now I needed to check that one last bedroom. I had to hurry before I was caught. Maybe the police would catch me in here and think that I was the murderer.

  That was the last thing I needed. It was as if I was attracting bad stuff. I got along just fine, never getting into any kind of trouble until recently. I rushed out of the room and down the hallway.

  With nerviness taking over, somehow, I made it to the end of the hall and found a couple more bedrooms. I stepped into the one that seemed to be the main bedroom since it had the biggest bed and the most furniture. Stepping over to the dresser, I looked at a couple of framed photos.

  One was the candy shop owner and I assumed her husband together. It didn’t look like the man that was out there on the floor. This was strange. I didn’t know what to think of that. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it really was him, but the photo looked different.

  The bed was made with a fluffy white comforter. A bench was at the foot of the bed with an extra blanket on top. I couldn’t imagine it would be used for quite some time with the hot temperatures outside. A dresser and chest of drawers were the only other items in the room. One nightstand had face cream and a book on top. The other nightstand was empty. I noticed a sheet of paper on top of the nightstand right next to the book. I suppose a quick glance at the paper wouldn’t hurt. I looked over my shoulder to make sure I was still alone. Crossing the room in a hurry, I stepped over to the nightstand and picked up the paper.

  Dear Muffin. I promise I would never do anything to hurt you. What you saw was completely innocent. You have to believe me. After all the years we’ve spent together my feelings for you have never changed. I hope you feel the same way. I know we can work this out. You are the only woman for me.

  It was signed Forever in love with you. Bear.

  I assumed this was to Rhonda from Ryan. He was cheating on his wife? Or she’d caught him and now he was denying that he had cheated. Interesting. Maybe the woman Rhonda had suspected he cheated with had killed them both. I suppose I should leave this for the police. Why was I touching things? I tossed the paper onto the nightstand. What if they found my fingerprints on the paper? I should get out of here before I made another stupid mistake.

  With shaky legs, I ran out of the room and down the hallway. As I turned to the left to go out the front door, I glanced back at the body. From that angle I got a good look at his face. But it sure didn’t look like the same man in the photo. Yet it had to be. That was the only thing that made sense.

  The woman and I hurried out the front door and down the sidewalk. When we reached the driveway, we stopped.

  “How long until the police arrive?” she asked.

  “I hope they show up soon,” I said.

  No sooner had the words left my lips when I heard the sirens. The neighbor and I were practically huddled altogether on the driveway.

  “Thank goodness they’re on their way,” she said. “I just don’t know what to think. I can’t wrap my mind around what happened.”

  “It’s a scary thing,” I said, trying to comfort her.

  “I never saw anyone go in there and I was right there on the front lawn,” she said. “You saw me working on the rosebushes.”

  “Perhaps someone came in through the back door. It was open, plus, the gate.”

  “Yes, I guess that’s what happened,” she said around a sigh.

  It was just then that I realized that she might find out I had lied to her. Would Detective Bailey arrive on the scene and mention to her that I had been on the scene of the other crime? It would be bad to be outed as a liar. But I didn’t have much choice.

  The police cars screeched to a halt in front of the house with the lights flashing. So far, I didn’t see the detective. But there was no way he would not show up at some point. After he had been involved in the first murder investigation, then this would be a top priority for him.

  We watched as the officers jumped out of their cars. The neighbor and I both pointed toward the house. Several of the officers ran into the house but one approached to ask us questions.

  “You all found the body, right?” he asked.

  We both nodded.

  “I’m the next door neighbor. And she was just looking at the house for sale across the street when we heard gunshots.”

  I had hoped she had forgotten my reason for being here.

  “We went over to check on the man and the door was open just a bit. So we went in and saw him on the floor. That’s when we called the police,” she said.

  “Okay, I’d just like to get some more information from you,” the officer said.

  Luckily, he started with the neighbor.

  “My name is Sally Bush,” she offered.

  “And you live right next-door?” he asked.

  “Yes, right at that house.” she pointed.

  Just then another car came to a screeching halt at the house. Yes, it was Detective Bailey. I knew I wouldn’t get out of here without seeing him. I was completely terrified actually. Running seemed like a good idea. He had no idea I was here because I hadn’t given my name to the 911 operator. I specifically did that on purpose, hoping that I can get away without having to talk with anyone. Detective Bailey hadn’t seen me yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time until our eyes that.

  “And what is your name, ma’am?” The officer’s question snapped me back to the current situation.

  “My name is Scarlet Baker,” I mumbled.

  “Oh, now I remember,” Sally said. “I thought you looked familiar. You do that baking show. I just love that show. I watch it often.”

  Apparently, she didn’t watch it that often if she didn’t remember my name.

  “Thank you,” I said with a smile.

  Unfortunately, I had hoped she wouldn’t hear my name. Before the officer had a chance to ask more questions, Detective Bailey spotted me and headed my way. Needless to say, he was a bit surprised and probably not surprised at the same time. I really didn’t know what to do with myself. Just as I had before, I wanted to run, but I knew that wouldn’t end well. So I stood there and waited for him to approach, trying to play over what I would say in my mind.

  “Scarlet,” he said when he approached.

  Sally and the o
fficer looked at each other and then at me as if surprised that I knew the detective.

  “What’s going on here, Scarlet?” Detective Bailey asked.

  “Well, it’s a long story.”

  “Unfortunately, I need to hear that long story right away,” he said.

  “Is it okay if we speak privately?” I gestured.

  He exchanged and look with the officer. The officer guided the neighbor away from us so that we could talk privately.

  “All right, now do you want to tell me what’s going on here?” Detective Bailey asked.

  “Okay, to be honest, I followed that car that I saw in the video. Turns out, I think it was Rhonda’s husband. Now he’s dead in there.”

  “And you found the body?” he asked.

  “Yes, but at least I wasn’t alone this time. The neighbor walked in with me. We were standing outside talking and we heard gunshots and that’s when we went over to check and see if he was okay,” I said.

  “Wait, why are you even talking to the neighbor?” he asked.

  “Because I was here, and she was outside.” I stared at him.

  Okay, I might have batted my eyelashes a bit, hoping that would keep me from getting into trouble.

  “That still doesn’t explain why you were talking to the neighbor,” he said.

  The eyelashes trick hadn’t worked. He was tough.

  “Because I was trying to get formation about that man,” I said. “He just walked into his house I don’t want to go to the door.”

  The detective shook his head. “Thank goodness for that. Do you see how this is dangerous work?”

  “Yes, I see how it is dangerous,” I said around a sigh.

  “Did you see anyone around?” he asked.

  “No, we didn’t see anyone, but when we were in the house the back door was open and so was the back gate. I didn’t know if anyone was in the house that’s why we got out of there.”

  “Can I ask you to stay out of this investigation now?”

  Sure, he could ask, but that didn’t mean I would do it. I couldn’t stop now. I was too far ahead. I was involved in this one hundred percent. The way that Detective Bailey was staring at me was unsettling though.

  “you’re not going to arrest me, are you?” I asked.

  “Should I arrest you?” he asked.

  “Of course not,” I said with a bit of panic in my voice. “I had nothing to do with this.”

  “A lot of people are going to be questioning why you were at the scene of both murders.”

  “Purely coincidence,’ I said.

  “I don’t think you could call it coincidence,” he said. “Perhaps being snoopy.”

  “Being conscientious and wanting to solve the crime,” I said. “I want to figure out what happened.”

  “That’s my job,” he said.

  “Yes, I know,” I said.

  I felt bad now that he said it that way. But I was only trying to help.

  “Scarlet, I know you mean the best, but maybe you should just leave this to me,” he said.

  I told him that I would, but I knew it was virtually impossible to make that happen now. I would just have to be more careful about the places I was snooping around.

  Chapter 11

  I really hoped the police didn’t miss any clues in there. I supposed reminding Detective Bailey to check everywhere would probably be frowned upon by him. He was already mad at me.

  “By the way, I told the neighbor that I was looking to buy the house across the street. That’s why I was talking to her.”

  “So you were being deceptive and getting yourself into trouble?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I want the case to be solved.”

  “Of course I want that too, Scarlet. I want the most is to keep you safe though.”

  Okay, his comment gave me butterflies.

  “I suppose I should go now. That’s if I’m allowed to leave,” I said.

  “Yeah, I guess you can go, but I’ll definitely have more questions for you.”

  Oddly enough, I was completely okay with that. I didn’t say goodbye to the neighbor as I headed over to my car. I really didn’t want to answer any of her questions.

  As I got in the car, I couldn’t stop thinking about one thing that stood out to me. As Sally and I had passed by the body, and once again on my way out, I’d gotten a better look at him, and for some reason it didn’t look like the man who had been in the car following me or the one in the photo.

  I supposed maybe I really needed to talk to the neighbor more. She walked away from the crime scene house and headed back over to her house. I could try and avoid telling her the truth about not being interested in buying the house. It would bother me until I knew the answer about the murdered man. Detective Bailey had disappeared into the house. He would never know that I had spoken to Sally again. I could get out of here before he was even out of the house again. I figured it would be a while before he was finished accessing the scene. I was glad that I’d taken the time to look around the house more.

  Even though I had more questions for Sally, I also wanted to check on her too. I didn’t want to just drive away without making sure she was okay. I got out of the car and headed over to her house. With a knot in my stomach, I knocked on the front door and waited for her to answer. I peered over toward the crime scene as I waited. No sign of the detective.

  Just as I was about to knock again, the door opened.

  “Oh, hi, Scarlet,” she said. “Is anything wrong?”

  “I just wanted to check on you before I left to make sure that you’re okay.”

  “I suppose I’m all right,” she said as she blew the hair out of her eyes. “What about you?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay,” I said. “What did the police say to you?”

  “They just asked me if I remembered anything. I told them exactly what happened. Did you happen to get a good look at the man I asked?”

  “Well, I suppose I didn’t look much.”

  Wouldn’t she know that wasn’t her neighbor though?

  “When I was in there, I saw a picture and I assumed it was of the owner of the house and it didn’t look like the man on the floor,” I said.

  “I suppose I hadn’t noticed. But I’m almost sure it was him. Who else could it be?”

  “I don’t know. I just got a strange feeling, I guess, and I thought I would ask.”

  “The police will find out soon enough, right?” she asked.

  “Yes, I suppose they will.”

  “So I guess you’re not interested in buying the house now?”

  Apparently, she still believed my lie. Now I would have to keep up that ruse.

  “Maybe it would hold bad memories for me now,” I said.

  Although Sally had to live right next door to the house where the man had been murdered. Now every time she saw the house, she’d think of it.

  “I can understand that,” she said. “That poor man.”

  “What was he like?” I asked.

  “Oh, I suppose he was quiet. I talked to his wife more, but he did say hello on occasion.”

  Just on occasion? That didn’t seem all that friendly.

  “No one who would want to hurt them?” I asked.

  “Not that I know of, but I really have no idea. I suppose I did see a car over there the other day. I’d never seen it before.”

  I wanted to tell her that I was invested in this case because I received a note. But then that would make my whole story of looking at the house across the street fall apart. She seemed like such a nice lady and I felt really guilty for lying to her.

  “What did the car look like?” I asked.

  “It was a red car. I’m not sure exactly of the model, but it was probably a Ford.”

  “Did you see anyone get out of it?”

  “An older man, probably in his fifties, I suppose.”

  “What did he look like?” I pressed.

  “He had salt and pepper hair and average height and weight.” She laugh
ed. “You seem like the police.”

  I chuckled. “I guess I’m just curious. Some might call it nosy.”

  “I completely understand that,” she said.

  I realized that it had been a while since I’d been talking to her and that Detective Bailey might come back outside. Maybe I should get out of there.

  “Well, it was nice speaking with you again. I wish it was under better circumstances. And I hope that everything will be okay.”

  “Same to you,” she said. “If you need anything else don’t hesitate to ask. And if you reconsider that house across the street, I’m sure it will be great having you as a neighbor.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “Thank you so much.”

  I waved at her and then hurried for my car. I kept an eye out for Detective Bailey. Sally watched from the door for a bit before stepping out of the house. Thank goodness I’d gotten inside my car and turned on the ignition before spotting Detective Bailey coming out of the house. As far as I knew he hadn’t seen me as I drove away.

  Chapter 12

  It was time for another taping of the show. And this time we were making red velvet cupcakes. I had a scrumptious buttercream icing frosting recipe. I’ve been using my grandmother’s secret on making the best red velvet cake. That would knock anyone socks off. I hadn’t been back to the studio since I’d received that note. And I hoped that I wasn’t in store for another one today.

  I was waiting on a call from Detective Bailey to tell me if they’d discovered anything new. I still hadn’t heard the identity of the murdered man. Whether or not it was really the candy shop owner’s husband. It was still early though and maybe he’d call soon. The newspaper had the news of the deaths on the front page, but the identity of victim’s hadn’t been announced there either.

  When I pulled into the parking lot for some reason my eyes were focused on a spot straight ahead. Oh, wow, they’d actually put up a sign marking off one of the parking spaces for me. My name finally. How sweet. No matter that it was at the back of the parking lot. I still had no idea when I’d be upgraded to one of the prime spots.