Read Online Town in a Strawberry Swirl (Candy Holliday Mystery) by B.B. Haywood - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: B.B. Haywood
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again and clicked the side button. “We’re just wrapping up here,” she told him. “I’m on my way.”
As she set the device back down, she turned to Doc and Candy. “We have enough here to get us started,” she said, indicating the list, “but I really need the two of you to see what else you can come up with. We’re looking for something solid. That shovel didn’t walk out of your barn on its own. Someone took it. And if you didn’t bring it out here, as you’ve said, then someone else did. We need to find out who.”
As Doc climbed out of the cruiser’s passenger seat, the policewoman handed him a card. She gave one to Candy as well. “You probably already have one of these, but take it anyway. Call me immediately if you think of anything else. And Doc,” she added, leaning over and looking out at him, “we need you to stop by the police station so we can get you fingerprinted. As soon as you can.”
After she was gone, headed up around the barn toward the hoophouse, Candy and Doc lingered in the parking lot. Doc gave his daughter a worried look as he ran a hand though his gray hair. “I don’t have a good feeling about any of this,” he said. “We’d better see if we can figure out what’s going on, and fast, before they wind up arresting the both of us and charging us with murder, all because of that damned shovel.”
Candy understood her father’s concern, but she didn’t want to overreact. “Well, I don’t think it’s going to get
that
bad,” she said, trying to sound reassuring. More thoughtfully, she added, “At least, I hope not. But you’re right about that shovel. One way or another, it links us to the murder scene, and it could spell trouble for the both of us.” She said these last few words as lightly as possible, trying not to sound too ominous. But they both knew there was some weight behind them.
Her father sighed and shook his head. “I just can’t figure out what’s it’s doing up in that hoophouse, lying next to the body of Miles Crawford. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Candy hesitated, proceeding with a little caution as she asked the next question, since she didn’t want to upset or accuse her father. “Dad,
you
didn’t bring it out here, did you?”
Doc grunted as his eyes flashed with a moment of irritation. “’Course not. But I know that’s what the chief probably thinks, right? I had a senior moment? Becoming forgetful in my old age? Well, he’s dead wrong. Despite what anyone else thinks, I didn’t bring that shovel out here. I know that for a fact. And honestly, there’s really no way Miles could have taken it from Blueberry Acres. He never came out to the place—and I can’t imagine he sneaked into our barn when we weren’t around and stole it from us.”
“I can’t either,” Candy admitted. “So how did it get here?”
“I don’t have any idea. Do you?”
“Not yet,” Candy said.
“What’s that mean?”
“It means something doesn’t fit right. In fact, it really doesn’t make any sense at all.”
“Which part?”
“All of it—or rather none of it,” Candy said, trying to put her thoughts together. “Look, if we assume our shovel was actually used as the murder weapon, then what’s it still doing here? Why did the murderer leave it behind? Why leave it at the scene of the crime, where it would be found?”
Doc mulled that over as he gazed up the slope toward the hoophouse. “I don’t know,” he said after a few moments. “What do you think?”
“I think whoever murdered Miles knew the shovel would be found and checked for evidence. They knew we’d all be trying to trace its whereabouts over the past few weeks and months. And they knew it would be used to incriminate either us or a second party. They were trying to divert attention, to pin the murder on another person—or persons.”
Doc shielded his eyes against the sun as he looked inquisitively at his daughter. “So what are you saying?”
Candy
As she set the device back down, she turned to Doc and Candy. “We have enough here to get us started,” she said, indicating the list, “but I really need the two of you to see what else you can come up with. We’re looking for something solid. That shovel didn’t walk out of your barn on its own. Someone took it. And if you didn’t bring it out here, as you’ve said, then someone else did. We need to find out who.”
As Doc climbed out of the cruiser’s passenger seat, the policewoman handed him a card. She gave one to Candy as well. “You probably already have one of these, but take it anyway. Call me immediately if you think of anything else. And Doc,” she added, leaning over and looking out at him, “we need you to stop by the police station so we can get you fingerprinted. As soon as you can.”
After she was gone, headed up around the barn toward the hoophouse, Candy and Doc lingered in the parking lot. Doc gave his daughter a worried look as he ran a hand though his gray hair. “I don’t have a good feeling about any of this,” he said. “We’d better see if we can figure out what’s going on, and fast, before they wind up arresting the both of us and charging us with murder, all because of that damned shovel.”
Candy understood her father’s concern, but she didn’t want to overreact. “Well, I don’t think it’s going to get
that
bad,” she said, trying to sound reassuring. More thoughtfully, she added, “At least, I hope not. But you’re right about that shovel. One way or another, it links us to the murder scene, and it could spell trouble for the both of us.” She said these last few words as lightly as possible, trying not to sound too ominous. But they both knew there was some weight behind them.
Her father sighed and shook his head. “I just can’t figure out what’s it’s doing up in that hoophouse, lying next to the body of Miles Crawford. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Candy hesitated, proceeding with a little caution as she asked the next question, since she didn’t want to upset or accuse her father. “Dad,
you
didn’t bring it out here, did you?”
Doc grunted as his eyes flashed with a moment of irritation. “’Course not. But I know that’s what the chief probably thinks, right? I had a senior moment? Becoming forgetful in my old age? Well, he’s dead wrong. Despite what anyone else thinks, I didn’t bring that shovel out here. I know that for a fact. And honestly, there’s really no way Miles could have taken it from Blueberry Acres. He never came out to the place—and I can’t imagine he sneaked into our barn when we weren’t around and stole it from us.”
“I can’t either,” Candy admitted. “So how did it get here?”
“I don’t have any idea. Do you?”
“Not yet,” Candy said.
“What’s that mean?”
“It means something doesn’t fit right. In fact, it really doesn’t make any sense at all.”
“Which part?”
“All of it—or rather none of it,” Candy said, trying to put her thoughts together. “Look, if we assume our shovel was actually used as the murder weapon, then what’s it still doing here? Why did the murderer leave it behind? Why leave it at the scene of the crime, where it would be found?”
Doc mulled that over as he gazed up the slope toward the hoophouse. “I don’t know,” he said after a few moments. “What do you think?”
“I think whoever murdered Miles knew the shovel would be found and checked for evidence. They knew we’d all be trying to trace its whereabouts over the past few weeks and months. And they knew it would be used to incriminate either us or a second party. They were trying to divert attention, to pin the murder on another person—or persons.”
Doc shielded his eyes against the sun as he looked inquisitively at his daughter. “So what are you saying?”
Candy
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