Read Online Bad Bites: Donut Mystery #16 (The Donut Mysteries) by Jessica Beck - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jessica Beck
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you not telling me?”
She looked as though she were about to cry, but after a few moments, she
gathered herself back up. “Suzanne,
I don’t like admitting this to anyone, but I’m afraid,” she finally said in a
near whisper.
“Afraid of what?”
“What else? That I might be
next.”
Chapter 7
Her answer completely caught me off guard. “What possible reason would the killer
have to come after you?”
“How should I know? Maybe whoever
murdered Chester thinks I know something.”
“Do you?” I asked.
“I don’t know. That’s what is
so frustrating,” Shelly said, the tears coming unbidden now. “Why do you think that I’m so worried
about it? I have half a mind to go
back to the lodge, throw everyone out, send the staff home, lock all the doors,
then hole up there until someone catches the murderer. Not that it would be that hard to empty
the place this time of year. For
the next four days, we might as well close down, since we don’t have a single
guest registered.” She paused and
then nodded. “You know, that’s
really not that bad an idea. I
think that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“If it helps you feel safer, then you should,” I said, “but I think your
worries are unfounded.”
“Do you really think so?” she asked me, as though she was daring to let a
little hope into her heart.
“I do,” I said, but I must not have sounded all that convincing.
“I hope you’re right,” she said, and then she took out a business card
and jotted something down on the back of it. “This is the landline number to the
lodge, since we don’t get cell phone service up there. If you need anything,
and I mean anything at all, or if there’s a break in the case, don’t hesitate
to call me. Will you do that?”
“I promise,” I said as I tucked the card into the front pocket of my
jeans.
“Okay. Thank you.”
As she started to go, I asked her, “Shelly, do you have one more second?”
“Sure, what do you need?”
There was no delicate way to ask her, so I decided to come right out and
just do it. “Where were you when
Chester was murdered?”
If she was offended by the question, she didn’t show it. “As a matter of fact, I was on my way
down the mountain for his party. One of my guests discovered when he was checking out that he’d lost a
valuable set of cufflinks, and he accused one of my maids of stealing them.”
“What happened?”
“I insisted that he check through his luggage again, with me watching
him, and what do you know? They
turned up after all.”
“Was he trying to scam you into reimbursing him for them?” I asked.
“Either that, or he’d just overlooked them somehow the first time he
checked. I like to think the best
of the folks who come to stay at Storm Cloud, but sometimes it’s hard to
do. Anyway, I didn’t make it down
the mountain until Chester was already gone. You know what? I’ll never forgive myself for not being
there for him in the end. He asked
me to come early, but I couldn’t seem to get away.”
“That might have worked out in your favor. Showing up early just might have put you
in harm’s way yourself,” I said, relieved that she had a solid alibi. Well, it would be solid after Jake or I
got confirmation from the accusatory guest. I’d learned over the years to confirm
everything that a murder suspect told me, no matter how mundane it might
be. Whether I liked it or not,
people lied sometimes, and as hard as it was for me to accept, sometimes they
even lied to me.
“Who knows? Maybe I could
have prevented it if I’d been here,” Shelly said, bringing me back into the
moment.
“You’ll drive yourself crazy thinking like that,” I said. I’d wanted to ask her if she’d known
about Chester’s affair with Maggie Hoff, but if her alibi checked out, there
would be no reason to mention it now. On the off chance
She looked as though she were about to cry, but after a few moments, she
gathered herself back up. “Suzanne,
I don’t like admitting this to anyone, but I’m afraid,” she finally said in a
near whisper.
“Afraid of what?”
“What else? That I might be
next.”
Chapter 7
Her answer completely caught me off guard. “What possible reason would the killer
have to come after you?”
“How should I know? Maybe whoever
murdered Chester thinks I know something.”
“Do you?” I asked.
“I don’t know. That’s what is
so frustrating,” Shelly said, the tears coming unbidden now. “Why do you think that I’m so worried
about it? I have half a mind to go
back to the lodge, throw everyone out, send the staff home, lock all the doors,
then hole up there until someone catches the murderer. Not that it would be that hard to empty
the place this time of year. For
the next four days, we might as well close down, since we don’t have a single
guest registered.” She paused and
then nodded. “You know, that’s
really not that bad an idea. I
think that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“If it helps you feel safer, then you should,” I said, “but I think your
worries are unfounded.”
“Do you really think so?” she asked me, as though she was daring to let a
little hope into her heart.
“I do,” I said, but I must not have sounded all that convincing.
“I hope you’re right,” she said, and then she took out a business card
and jotted something down on the back of it. “This is the landline number to the
lodge, since we don’t get cell phone service up there. If you need anything,
and I mean anything at all, or if there’s a break in the case, don’t hesitate
to call me. Will you do that?”
“I promise,” I said as I tucked the card into the front pocket of my
jeans.
“Okay. Thank you.”
As she started to go, I asked her, “Shelly, do you have one more second?”
“Sure, what do you need?”
There was no delicate way to ask her, so I decided to come right out and
just do it. “Where were you when
Chester was murdered?”
If she was offended by the question, she didn’t show it. “As a matter of fact, I was on my way
down the mountain for his party. One of my guests discovered when he was checking out that he’d lost a
valuable set of cufflinks, and he accused one of my maids of stealing them.”
“What happened?”
“I insisted that he check through his luggage again, with me watching
him, and what do you know? They
turned up after all.”
“Was he trying to scam you into reimbursing him for them?” I asked.
“Either that, or he’d just overlooked them somehow the first time he
checked. I like to think the best
of the folks who come to stay at Storm Cloud, but sometimes it’s hard to
do. Anyway, I didn’t make it down
the mountain until Chester was already gone. You know what? I’ll never forgive myself for not being
there for him in the end. He asked
me to come early, but I couldn’t seem to get away.”
“That might have worked out in your favor. Showing up early just might have put you
in harm’s way yourself,” I said, relieved that she had a solid alibi. Well, it would be solid after Jake or I
got confirmation from the accusatory guest. I’d learned over the years to confirm
everything that a murder suspect told me, no matter how mundane it might
be. Whether I liked it or not,
people lied sometimes, and as hard as it was for me to accept, sometimes they
even lied to me.
“Who knows? Maybe I could
have prevented it if I’d been here,” Shelly said, bringing me back into the
moment.
“You’ll drive yourself crazy thinking like that,” I said. I’d wanted to ask her if she’d known
about Chester’s affair with Maggie Hoff, but if her alibi checked out, there
would be no reason to mention it now. On the off chance
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