Killer Crullers (14 page)

Terri smiled at her best friend. “Let’s just say we both deserve a break and leave it at that.”

“You should bring them by soon,” I said. “I’m planning to start making my pumpkin surprises any day, and I know they all love them.”

“You don’t have to tell us,” Terri said. “There’s a half-day next Friday, so we’ll bring them by at eleven-thirty. Save a few for us.”

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be open then,” I admitted.

“You’re closing the donut shop?” Terri said loudly enough to get attention I didn’t want. “I’ll hate to see this place go.”

“I’m not closing down,” I said, louder than I needed to. “I’m just shortening my store hours so I can have a little bit of a life for myself.” Louder again this time, I said, “No worries. Donut Hearts is doing great! As far as I’m concerned, we’ll be here forever.”

That seemed to satisfy the folks in the shop, and when I turned back to Terri, she said, “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to shout. I just can’t imagine my life without your donuts in it. Tell you what. I’ll bring the girls in on Saturday. Will you have them then?”

“I’ll make them specially for you all,” I said.

“We’ll be here, too,” Sandy said. “Who knows? If our husbands are lucky, we’ll let them come, too.”

I loved being around them both, and was glad that they’d adopted my donut shop as one of their favorite places. “The more the merrier. Now, what can I get you today?”

“Two coffees, and two glazed donuts,” Terri said.

“I’ll have the same,” Sandy added with a grin.

“I was ordering for both of us, you big goof.”

“In that case, cancel my order,” Sandy said.

Terri looked at her friend oddly. “You did know what I was doing, right?”

“Now who’s being the big goof? Of course I did.”

After I served them, they took their favorite sofa by the window that looked out on the old railroad tracks, and Trish’s Boxcar Grille Diner. There was a touch of fog in the air, and as I glanced out the window myself, it almost appeared as though the car on rails might actually be moving. It was just one more reason I loved my old depot, and couldn’t imagine ever giving it up for anything.

Twenty minutes later, the front door opened, but instead of a new donut customer, it was James Settle, the ironworker and blacksmith who was intent on destroying part of our town’s heritage. I had to move him to the front of my to-do list and find a way to stop him from tearing up our tracks even as I worked to solve Desmond Ray’s murder.

“You think you’re cute, don’t you?” Settle said angrily as he approached me.

“Well, I’d
never
say that I was beautiful, but I believe cute is fairly accurate.” I turned to the two mothers and asked, “What do you think? Am I overreaching?”

“No,” Sandy said. “I think cute is right on the money. Terri?”

“Definitely,” she said. “I’ve always thought that about you.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” Settle said.

I frowned at him, pretending to be upset. “So, you don’t think I’m cute? That’s not very nice, is it?”

He shook his head. “Blast it, woman, that’s not what I mean, and you know it. How did you do it? Did you pay off that old fossil to keep him from issuing my permit? How many donuts did it cost you, or did you trade him something else?”

“Be careful, Mr. Settle,” I said as I grabbed the nearest weapon I could find, a pot full of scalding hot coffee. “I don’t appreciate your tone of voice, or the implication of your accusation.”

He looked mad enough to spit nails for a moment, and then held up his hands. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I was completely out of line. I apologize.”

I certainly hadn’t expected that. “Could I get you a cup of coffee?”

“To wear, or to drink?” he asked, a slight twinkle in his eye now.

“That all depends on your mood and your attitude,” I said.

He looked at me for a few seconds, and then said, “Why not? I promise to be good.”

I poured him a cup, and he slid his payment to me as he said, “I don’t know why you’re so attached to those rails anyway,” he said. “You can’t even see them under the grass and the weeds, and I could really use them.”

“I know they’re there, and that’s enough for me. They can’t be the only old tracks you can use. Leave ours alone.”

“Sorry, but I can’t do that,” he said. In a calm voice, he said, “You might have slowed me down, but you haven’t stopped me. I’m driving to Raleigh to get that permit, so I doubt they can claim they’re out of them there.”

I’d thought about that yesterday and had called Henry to see if Settle could do just that. I smiled at him as I said, “I’ll save you a trip. The permits can only be issued to an approved and duly appointed registrant with their office.”

He didn’t look at all surprised to hear it. “So, you did have something to do with it. How else would you know that particular fact?”

He had me there, but I was going to ride the bluff as long as I could do it with a straight face. “You’d be amazed by what you can learn working behind the counter at a donut shop. I’m just full of trivial and useless information.”

He took a sip of coffee, and then said, “It wasn’t exactly useless this time, though, was it?”

I did my best to look innocent, but I had a feeling I was falling far short of my goal, so all I could do was trust myself to shrug in reply.

“Thanks for the coffee,” he said as he finished it and slid the empty mug toward me. “I’m sure I’ll see you around. I’m not going anywhere.”

I was afraid of just that. “Come again,” I said.

As soon as he was gone, Terri came over. “What was that all about?”

“It’s nothing,” I said.

“Suzanne Hart, I know nothing when I see it. Spill.”

I brought her up to speed, and she nodded as I finished telling her about it. “I’ll talk to my husband about it.”

I knew that Terri’s spouse was an accountant, hardly someone schooled in ways of handling situations like this. “You don’t have to bother. Really.”

She shrugged. “I know I don’t have to, but I want to.” Terri looked behind me and said, “I think we’ll take one of those crullers, too. Sandy and I can split it.”

I managed to hide my surprise and served her the lightly glazed cruller. I’d almost skipped making them since the incident with Desmond, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, given the fact that I had customers who adored them. I made two types, one light and airy, and the other dark and dense. They played well off each other, and I hoped someday I’d be able to look at them again without flinching.

*   *   *

It was nearly eleven, and I had seven customers still in the donut shop. I considered staying open since I hated to turn people out onto the street, but I knew if I didn’t stand firm, I’d end up back to my old schedule soon enough, and I wasn’t prepared to do that. “Last call,” I said as I walked from customer to customer with the coffeepot.

“I can’t believe you’re chucking us out,” Billy Richmond said. Billy—a tall thin man with a full beard and unruly ash-blond hair—worked a midnight-to-eight
A.M.
shift, and he was too wired up when he got off work to go straight home, so he usually ran some errands, and then came by the shop before going home to bed at noon. I was sympathetic, since I had crazy hours of my own, but I wasn’t about to let him talk me into staying open.

“Believe it,” I said with a grin. “More coffee?”

“No,” he said, answering my smile with one of his own. “It would just keep me awake all day.”

After everyone was gone, Emma walked out front. “I wasn’t sure you’d have the heart to do it,” she said.

“I’m not about to give up an hour of newfound freedom,” I said. “How do things look in back? Have you started cleaning yet?”

“I’m nearly finished, as a matter of fact. Now I’m just waiting for the trays out here,” she said. We boxed the remaining donuts, less than three dozen in all, which was a good thing. After setting them aside, Emma took the trays, and I carried the rest of the dirty dishes to the back. While she was cleaning up there, I ran our reports, balanced the register, made out the deposit, and then started sweeping the floor out front. By eleven-fifteen, we were walking out the door together, and I was suddenly loving our new store hours.

I was at my Jeep when I heard a car horn.

Grace and George were in her company car, and both of them were waving to me.

It appeared that my team was ready and eager to get started on our case.

*   *   *

“Are those for me?” George said as he pointed to the boxed donuts in my hands. I’d slid into the backseat and kept the donuts in my lap.

“In a way. I thought we might use them to get close to our suspects.”

Grace laughed. “I love it. Suzanne, you’re lucky you don’t make chain saws. They’d be a little tougher to give away.”

“Who doesn’t love donuts?” I asked. I looked at George and asked, “Were you able to find anything out?”

“You bet,” he said as he pulled out his notebook. “You were right. Katie Wilkes lives in Talbot’s Landing, and so does Allen Davis. As a matter of fact, the two of them both work at the same place.”

“That might make it tough to interview them separately,” I said. “We don’t want them conspiring, do we?”

“That’s not going to be a problem,” George said. “Davis is off today, and you can probably find him at Strike Out when you get to town.”

“What is that?” Grace asked.

“It’s a bowling alley,” George explained.

I couldn’t believe the detailed information he’d gathered, and I began to suspect that George had done some personal interviews without my blessing. “Hang on a second. I can see how you might be able to discover that two of our suspects work together, but how on earth could you possibly know that Allen Davis is bowling?”

“Would you believe that I used my cop’s instincts and made a guess based on my years on the police force and my intense knowledge about the human condition?” George asked with a grin.

“Not a chance. Spill.”

He replied, “It was easy. I Googled them both, and I found their FacePlace pages. Allen was crowing about going bowling today on his day off. Tell me something, ladies. Why do people feel the need to report their every movement to the world on the Internet for everyone to see? No one’s life is that interesting, as far as I’m concerned.”

“It is to them,” I said. “Emma’s been after me to have a Web presence, as she calls it, for our donut shop, but I don’t want to get wrapped up in it. We’re doing fine as it is.”

Grace said, “It can be a useful tool in sales. My company’s starting to get into it.”

“You can have it,” I said. “I like things plain and simple.”

Grace laughed at me. “That’s my best friend, the technophobe. Could it have something to do with the fact that you still don’t know how to text on your cell phone?”

“Hey, I can do it. It just takes me a while.”

Grace shook her head. “It would be simpler if you’d just call.”

I laughed triumphantly. “My point exactly. So, where do they work when they’re together?”

“They are both on the staff at Duncan Construction,” George reported. “Katie works at a desk inside, and Davis is on one of the work crews.”

I nodded. “How about Bill Rodgers? Were you able to find anything out about him?”

George consulted his notebook again. “You bet. He hangs out some in Talbot’s Landing, but he’s got a business in Union Square, so that’s where he spends most of his time,” he said.

“Those are on opposite ends of the county,” I said.

George nodded his agreement. “That’s why we need to split them up. Why don’t you two ladies take Talbot’s Landing, and I’ll handle Union Square?”

“What about our other three suspects?” I asked.

That got Grace’s attention. “Three?”

I ticked them off on my fingers as I explained, “We’ve got Jean Ray, her niece Jenny, and last but not least, Gabby Williams.”

“When are we going to speak more with them?” Grace asked.

I shrugged. “We’ll have to tackle them later. For now, it’s time to split up and approach the three suspects on our list we don’t know yet.”

As George started to get out of Grace’s car, I asked him, “Would you like a box of donuts to use as a bribe?”

“I don’t see how that would work,” he said. “I can’t exactly represent myself as a donut maker, can I?”

“You can still use them to break the ice,” I said.

He shrugged as he took a box, and then said, “I’ll be lucky if any of these make it to Union Square.”

I laughed. “Hey, knock yourself out. Half a dozen might work just as well as a full dozen.”

He smiled as he walked to his car. I slid the rest of the donuts on the seat in back, and then got up front with Grace.

“So,” I asked. “Should we go to the construction place first, or the bowling alley?”

“I vote the alley. By the time we get there, the construction company employees will most likely be at lunch.”

“Strike Out it is,” I said. As we drove, I added, “I’m not going to ask you about your date last night, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share any details with me.”

Grace laughed. “At least you’re being a good sport about my news blackout. How was your evening? Did anything interesting happen?”

I hadn’t planned to tell her what had happened, honestly, I hadn’t. Speaking the words aloud would make them feel as though they were real in some way.

But I couldn’t help myself.

“Oh, yes,” I said, and then began to tell her all about my mother’s wedding proposal.

*   *   *

“I can’t believe it,” Grace said after I finished.

“How do you think I feel?” I asked.

She glanced over at me. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure there’s anything I can do,” I replied. “Momma’s going to have to do what’s best for her.”

“If she accepts his proposal, you can move in with me,” Grace said. “I’d love to have you as a roommate, and there’s plenty of space at my house.”

It was sweet of her to say it, but I knew how much Grace loved having her own space. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not ready to make any plans just yet.”

She drove a little farther down the road, and then glanced over at me. “Do you think there’s a chance she’s going to turn him down?”