Cinnamon twisted, p.26
Cinnamon Twisted, page 26
Maybe Kayla didn’t recognize that Logan might have had a concussion and was therefore saying things he might later regret. She argued, “You did not have a right to borrow my truck to go visit that woman and hit her with your stone relic. You did not have a right to borrow my truck and drive over here to dig in Emily’s garden. You did not have the right to threaten me if I didn’t lie for you. You did not have the right to make me search for metal in Emily’s yard, and you certainly did not have the right to borrow my truck tonight to try to break into Emily’s house. To do what? Kill Emily, too, when she couldn’t produce the treasure you think you inherited?”
Logan retorted, “I did inherit it. And you did not have the right to borrow my car tonight without asking. That’s stealing. I’ll have you charged.”
Kayla shrugged. “I needed to follow you. You were driving my truck, which according to what you just said, you stole from me.”
Daniel accused Logan, “And you had no right to tear part of a map out of a book that was probably worth more than the so-called gold.” Daniel’s voice shook.
Still sitting in the grass, Logan scowled up at Daniel. “I wouldn’t tear up a valuable book. My great-great-grandmother did that, long ago, before the book had any value. She was going to hunt for her father’s gold, but she didn’t live long enough, and neither did my great-grandmother or my grandfather, so I had to. I have not broken any laws. I’m an upstanding member of the faculty of Fallingbrook High.”
Behind me, I heard Hooligan mutter, “Losing your faculties.”
I didn’t think Logan heard Hooligan, which was just as well. With my own shock belatedly setting in, I had to turn away from Logan and Agnew to keep them from seeing my grin.
Chapter 41
Samantha and another EMT must have discovered they could enter my yard through the garage. They wheeled a stretcher through the doorway cut into the brick wall.
They removed a case of equipment from the stretcher, helped Logan onto the stretcher, and strapped him in. Rex read him his rights and told him he was under arrest for the murder of Pamela Firston.
Logan protested. “It was an accident!”
Kayla’s cheek was bleeding and one of her eyes was swelling. I said urgently, “Kayla’s hurt.”
Leaving Logan with Hooligan, Tyler, and her EMT partner, Samantha helped Kayla to one of my patio chairs, had her sit down, and quietly questioned her.
Chief Agnew folded his arms over his armored vest and told Rex, “We need to consider more arrests. When we arrived, the man you just arrested had been assaulted. He was tied up, and Suthlow was standing over him and threatening him with another of his donut-shaped murder weapons. And those two women”—he aimed his chin toward Kayla and then toward me—“were nearby and not stopping Suthlow.”
I objected. “Daniel didn’t hurt anyone with that brass relic or with the stone one, either. Daniel hadn’t arrived in my yard yet when I threw that brass donut-like thing at Logan. I didn’t mean to knock him down. I only wanted to stop him from harming Kayla and me while we waited for help to arrive. We tied Logan up to prevent him from getting away.”
Calling from the patio table where she was sitting with Samantha, Kayla confirmed that my story was correct. “And check Logan’s pockets. When he came here early Wednesday morning to dig in Emily’s yard, he must have stolen one of the sets of keys that my boss left for Emily in her mailbox. When I got here shortly after he did tonight, both the side and the back doors of the garage were standing open. Each of those doors came with a set of two keys. The keys match. They all open both doors. Did you find all four keys in your mailbox, Emily?”
“No. Only two keys. One set, I guess.” Mentally chastising myself for not figuring out that doors might come with more than one key each, I stared pointedly at Agnew.
He didn’t meet my gaze, and he didn’t admit to having seen two sets of keys in my mailbox, or to having borrowed one of the sets.
Rex removed keys from Logan’s pockets and said in his quiet way, “Irv, you’ll follow the ambulance to the hospital so you can begin questioning Logan.” Rex sorted through the keys. “These new brass keys could be yours, Emily. And here’s Kayla’s truck key.” He took pictures of the keys, made notes, and then gave us our keys.
Samantha helped Kayla to her feet. “I’m taking Kayla to the hospital to be checked out. She’ll ride in front with me.”
Rex nodded as if he’d expected that. “Hooligan and Tyler will take Kayla’s statement while she’s being patched up, and I’ll stay here to talk to Daniel and Emily, and then I’ll meet you at the hospital to plan our next steps, Irv.” Rex turned to Tyler. “Do you mind riding in the back of the ambulance with one of the EMTs and the arrested man? Hooligan can drive the cruiser you two arrived in.”
Tyler grinned toward Samantha, who was supporting the much-taller Kayla with one arm around her waist. “Not at all. I hear that Hooligan’s wife is a good driver.”
Samantha guided Kayla toward Tyler. “You better believe it. Meanwhile, can you help Kayla to the ambulance? Or, Kayla, is that your cane back there on Emily’s table?”
Kayla shook her head. One of her braids had completely unraveled. “No. Logan brought it with him tonight. He set it down on the table when he started trying to get in through Emily’s back door. He said he found it Sunday evening in a pile of firewood he was helping move, but that was a lie. It must be the cane he said the woman used to attack him.”
Someday, Dep would probably find Kayla’s missing hair tie in the grass and convince herself it was prey.
Agnew looked over at the patio table. “Gold handle. Probably another thing that woman stole from her clients.”
I had to defend Pamela Firston. “I doubt it. Remember the gold-headed cane that Hattie Renniegrove mentioned in her letter? That letter was probably written to Matilda Aimes, Pamela’s grandmother. Maybe Hattie left the cane to Matilda or gave it to her.”
Agnew growled, “Or this Matilda person stole it from the Renniegrove woman.”
I had to admit that was possible. “But Pamela wasn’t born yet and couldn’t have stolen it from Hattie Renniegrove.”
Agnew peered at the cane’s handle and then grunted. “Doesn’t look like real gold to me. Maybe gold leaf over copper. The gold is wearing through in spots.” He straightened and asked Rex, “Are you going to bring that along as evidence?”
Rex’s answer was terse. “Yes.”
Logan shouted, “She attacked me with it!”
Agnew glanced at me. “Who?” He actually licked his lips.
Logan let me off the hook and firmly hoisted himself onto it. “That woman out at the lake, the woman who was trying to steal treasure that belonged to me.”
Samantha and the other EMT wheeled Logan away through my new garage. Hooligan and Agnew followed them.
Kayla seemed reluctant to be close to Logan, but Tyler offered her his arm, and she placed her hand on it and let him escort her out of my garden and toward the ambulance.
Rex asked me, “Do you mind if I go to Daniel’s house and question him first?”
I gave him a shaky smile. “That will give me a chance to shower and dress.” And maybe regain some of my equilibrium.
Daniel faked a shiver. “And I’ll be glad to get out of this damp and foggy night and put on a shirt. And maybe three sweaters and a coat.”
I followed them into my new garage. Someone, probably Samantha or her partner, had turned on the light inside it and pushed the button that opened the big overhead door. It was gaping. I guessed it was lucky that I’d had the garage built big enough to accommodate my car with enough space to wheel a stretcher past it.
I told Rex, “Ring my doorbell after you talk to Daniel.”
“Okay. I’m afraid your garage and the walled section of your yard are a crime scene, and you’ll have to stay out.”
I slapped my forehead. “Oh, no! After I finally have a garage and parked inside it for the first time!”
Rex was good at looking empathetic. “I’ll have a look around your car, and let you know if you can move your car to the driveway, for now. I’ll make sure we process the scene quickly so you can use your garage and yard again.”
“Maybe you’ll dig up some gold?”
He laughed. “Maybe. Can you go into your house through the front door, or did you lock it?”
“I didn’t. I’ll go in that way.”
He sketched a salute. “See you in about fifteen minutes.”
He and Daniel started across the street. I pushed the button that closed and locked the overhead door, went into the house, locked the doors, apologized to Dep, and ran upstairs for a quick shower. It was around three, but I knew there was no chance of sleeping again after Rex left. I put on my work uniform, added a bulky sweater, and started coffee.
Rex showed up with a large evidence bag.
I asked him, “Can you stand a cup of coffee this early?”
“I’d love it. I’ll collect that cane and lock it in my cruiser, first.”
When he came back in from his car, my kitchen was brightly lit, warm, comfy, and fragrant with fresh coffee. He sat at the counter and opened his notebook. I placed a mug of coffee in front of him. Answering his questions, I made toast, fried bacon, and scrambled eggs.
We ate. I apologized for not recognizing that one of the photos of Logan taken with Kayla’s phone had not been taken at Fallingbrook Falls. “At the Peabody-Smiths’ cabin, there’s a pine tree with a curved trunk. It’s near a bench on the point overlooking the lake, and it leans near the top. Logan must have propped his phone up and taken at least one timed selfie while he was at Deepwish Lake.”
Rex’s eyes opened wider. “I noticed that tree, but like you, I didn’t recognize it from the photo. I’ll go out and make a comparison to add to our evidence against Logan.” Rex pocketed his notebook and pen. “Thank you, Emily, and thank you for the breakfast. I’m glad I gave Irv the job of going to the hospital.”
“So am I.” Following Rex to the living room, I shuddered. “I don’t trust that man.”
He opened the door. “Maybe you’ll never have to deal with him again.”
“I hope not. And I hope he can go teach that course, and Brent can come back.”
“Don’t count on it. Irv will need to finish up here, and I hear that the police college likes Brent and wants him to finish the course. Thanks again for everything.” He left.
The sun would soon come up, and it was almost fully light outside. Flowers were opening, perfuming the air, and birds chirped and sang in the old neighborhood’s tall trees.
I closed the door and picked Dep up. “I guess we can feed you, clean up our breakfast things, start some chili in the slow cooker, and maybe go to work a little early even though it’s Sunday. I feel like making donuts. And maybe eating some, too.”
“Meow,” she said.
I stroked her. “Rex is probably right. Brent won’t be able to come back immediately, but we’ll see him next Saturday, at the latest.”
Purr, purr, purr . . .
Chapter 42
Rex kept Chief Agnew busy on the Pamela Firston case, and Brent stayed at the police college to finish teaching the course. The investigators took only a few days to search my yard for evidence about Logan’s assault on Kayla and his trespassing and digging in my garden, and then I was able to use my yard again. And my new garage.
On Friday morning, Rex came into Deputy Donut for a coffee and donut to go. He was on his way home. He thanked me again for helping capture Pamela’s murderer. “You can fill in the holes that Logan dug,” he told me. “Or dig more. We didn’t find any gold, but you might.” He gave me back the brass souvenir. No one was going to charge me for throwing it at Logan. “We have enough evidence against Logan to stand up in court. If he pleads not guilty to Pamela’s murder, you’ll have to testify.”
“That’s fine. It won’t be the first time.”
“No, and you’re good at it. However, Irv Agnew has convinced himself that he suspected Logan all along and solved the case himself. You’ll never get thanks from him.”
“I wouldn’t deserve them. All I did was hear Kayla pitching her voice loudly enough to alarm me.”
“And instead of going back to sleep, you investigated.”
“That was for my own self-preservation.”
“Keep doing that.”
“I’ll try. Is Kayla in trouble for lying to you about being with Logan the evening that Pamela was murdered?”
“What do you think?”
“I think she is in trouble.”
He nodded.
I added, “She said he threatened her.”
“That will be taken into consideration. Also, the reason he’d given her for lying was that the person who had asked him to help move the firewood was doing it as a surprise for someone who wasn’t at the campground but was on the way. It was all a story, but Kayla didn’t know that. She had learned the hard way what happened when she disobeyed Logan. Also, she didn’t hear about the murder right away, and when she did hear about it, she still believed the firewood story and it didn’t occur to her that Logan might have murdered anyone. She said that even if it had occurred to her, she wouldn’t have believed it. She didn’t piece it all together until she followed him to your place and realized he was trying to harm you.”
Sighing, I handed Rex the paper cup and a bag of donuts. I’d slipped in a few more than he’d paid for. He’d be on the road for a while.
I walked with him to our front door. He opened it. “Tell Brent hello.”
“I will.”
After work, Dep and I detoured to The Craft Croft. Summer was there. She crowed, “Guess who had me meet him out at the cabin a couple of days ago so he could take some pictures!”
Grinning, I asked, “Who?”
“That hot detective, Rex.”
“I like him a lot.”
“So do I. He brought me up to date on the case. Did you have to solve it so quickly? He said he was going home today.” She thrust out her lower lip, and then she grinned. “But yesterday afternoon, he came in here and bought a painting, one of that crooked tree near the lookout point at my parents’ place on Deepwish Lake. He said that the picture might erase the bad vibes the place had given him when . . . when it was a crime scene. So, I invited him to come out some day, go kayaking with me, and erase those bad vibes entirely.”
“I hope he never has to come back to Fallingbrook on business.”
“Me, too. I reminded him that this is a great place to vacation, and he said he’d noticed, and he would come back sometime just to relax and chill. Then the smile he gave me!” Her own smile was huge.
Mine reflected it. “Your parents could rent him their cabin, and you can drop by often to make certain that everything is in perfect order. And you could go fishing with him at five in the morning.”
Her laugh chimed through the shop. “I’d like that. Is Brent still out of town?”
“He finishes tonight, but he won’t arrive until late. He’s going straight to his place in the country, but he’ll visit me tomorrow night. We’ll grill steaks.”
“You’re blushing.”
“Can’t help it.” And I could hardly wait to see Brent, too.
* * *
I loved working at Deputy Donut, but Saturday seemed to go on forever.
Finally, we finished cleaning up. I said goodbye to Tom, Olivia, and Jocelyn, and then Dep and I walked home in warm sunshine. At home, I had just enough time to change into a cool, sleeveless linen dress that matched the blue of my eyes and set the patio table, and then Brent showed up.
Our hug went on so long that Dep complained and had to be held between us so she could join the affection-fest.
We poured our drinks, took them outside, and sat at the patio table. Dep took possession of Brent’s lap and gave me a sleepy but reproving look for letting her favorite man stay away for so long. Brent picked up the souvenir brass whorl. I had polished it until the brass was almost as shiny as gold. Maybe when it was new, the gleam had fooled Esther and her beau, Logan’s great-great-great-grandfather, Otto Nobbuth.
Brent studied the brass donut. “How could anyone mistake that for a bracelet?” He slid it over the top of his ring finger. “It doesn’t work as a ring either.” He set it on the table and reached into a pocket. “This does, but it’s platinum, not gold, and it’s too small for me. The sapphire matches your eyes. Emily, will you—”
Dep popped up and widened her pupils, nearly hiding all of the green in her eyes. A paw rose tentatively toward the sparkling ring.
I gasped, “Hold on to that ring, Brent, before Dep gets it, and . . . and buries it!”
Brent gave me a lazy grin. “I’ve got it, but I have a better idea for where it should go.” He took my left hand in his. “Emily, you know how I have felt about you for years. Will you marry me?”
Somehow, he understood my combination of inarticulate sounds, nodding, laughing, and crying. He slid the ring onto my finger.
Again, Dep had to be held between us during another long hug. Brent smiled down at her. “Is this okay with you, Dep? May I officially join the family?”
Purring, Dep reached up with one front paw, and softly patted his chin.
RECIPES
Cinnamon Twists
1 dab of butter
1 ½ cups whole milk, warmed to 111° F
1 tablespoon instant dry (powdered) yeast
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
4 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, just barely melted
vegetable oil with a smoke point of 400° F or higher (or follow your deep fryer’s instruction manual)
