A Pinch of Sea Salt and a Dash of Murder (Outer Banks Baker Mystery Series Book 1) (2 page)

Chapter 2

A couple hours later, Melissa and Logan were seated in the town’s tiny police department waiting area. The paramedics had shown up at the bakery within a few minutes of her call and had taken the dead body of her greatest competitor, Linda Stevenson, away to the county morgue. The entire block had been cordoned off by the police as they investigated the crime scene. Two officers had initially checked that Melissa and her nephew were okay. Later the same two officers escorted them to the department’s headquarters for questioning. Jason Payne, the younger but still approaching middle age detective, had reassured Melissa it was just procedure. Since they had found the body, the police needed their statements. However, his older and stouter partner Larry Reynolds, had cast more than one suspicious glance in her direction during the short ride over.

Sipping tepid water from a paper cup, Melissa couldn’t make sense of anything and she was worried about Logan’s emotional state. Finding a dead body was frightening for anyone but she imagined more so for a young impressionable teenage boy. Questions raced through her mind: What happened to Linda? How did she end up in her shop? Why was she in her shop? Who would want to hurt her competitor and why do so in the Kill Devil Delicacies bakery? Nothing about this situation made any sense.

Melissa had known Linda since elementary school. They had been good friends until junior year of high school. They both loved cooking and planned to attend culinary school after graduation. Their friendship became strained when the hot shot jock quarterback Brian Webber asked Melissa out on a movie date. She wasn’t aware until later that Linda was crushing on the big guy. By that time, the damage was done and Melissa was equally infatuated with him. She was unable to step aside to give her taller, leggier blonde friend a chance with him and Linda was unable to forgive her. The friendship had declined rapidly from that point. The situation was only made worse when the following year Melissa won the coveted title of Homecoming Queen. Twenty-something years later when she returned to Kill Devil Hills a widow, their friendship had still not recovered. Melissa remembered the day Linda found out she was opening her own bakery just a couple blocks away from her own. The now somewhat plump box-colored platinum blonde had exploded in a tantrum unsuitable for a five year old, much less a 40 year old woman.  

None of that mattered now, of course. Melissa questioned why it had ever mattered. Her thoughts turned to all the times she could’ve reached out to reconcile with Linda. She hadn’t done so. The other woman had been so spiteful when Melissa returned to town. She had made not very well veiled comments about how it served her rival justly to not have children since she didn’t have a real heart anyway. There had been other gossip, she suspected originating from Linda, which had been hurtful. Reeling from the death of her husband, Melissa had simply written off any reconciliation with her former friend as not being worth the effort. Regretfully, it was too late now.

It didn’t take long for the police to get around to questioning them. Melissa watched with concern as they led Logan away to an interview room alone. The tall one, Detective Payne, reassured her that they had waited so long because they couldn’t question a minor until a social services representative arrived. “Terrific,” Melissa thought with even more anxiety, “my brother sends his only child to me for the summer for safe keeping and now the boy needs social services and probably a shrink!”

She wasn’t left waiting long for her turn. The older, rounder in the middle, detective ushered her to another interview room. He gruffly told her to take a seat and he would be right back. Melissa assumed he was going to the adjoining room to consult with whoever was observing behind the two-way mirror before questioning her. She had watched enough “Law and Order” and “Castle” to know there was always someone behind the mirror. The question in her mind was “Why am I being treated like a suspect?” She had simply been the one to find Linda’s body. Her uneasiness grew the longer the detective held off coming back into the room.

A few minutes later the door opened and both detectives entered the room. By the expressions on their faces Melissa guessed it was time to play Good Cop/Bad Cop. The tall, muscular looking man with a short, military-style crew cut and kind brown eyes was Detective Jason Payne. He carried in two Styrofoam cups of coffee and set one down in front of her. The older, barrel-chested gentleman was Detective Larry Reynolds. He plopped down in the metal chair directly across from her with a scowl. “Yes,” she thought, “this is more than taking my statement. This is an interrogation.”

Thankfully Detective Payne began by kindly asking how she was holding up under the ordeal and commiserating that it must have been awful to find the body. Bad cop chimed in, “Yeah, in your own shop. Not hers,” with emphasis on the word “your”. Detective Payne gave his partner a sideways warning glance as if to check the old man’s enthusiasm to convict before even getting the facts. Melissa couldn’t help thinking they were professionals at the good cop/bad cop game.

The interview proceeded with “good cop” asking most the questions and the “bad cop” jotting down notes along with scowling at her. He even rolled his eyes a couple of times as if he did not believe a word she said. After the drama of the morning, Melissa’s emotional state was under duress and this guy was not helping.

She answered every question the best she could and repeated her story at least five times. She and her nephew had left her house that morning to go to work at her bakery. They walked there – approximately seven blocks. Didn’t see anything out of the ordinary until they reached the back of the building housing her shop. The door was slightly ajar and it looked as if the lock had been tampered with. Logan was the first to enter the building with her closely on his heels where they found Linda in a pool of blood on the floor midway between the counter housing the cooling racks and the back door. No, she had no idea why Linda would be in her shop or how she got in. No, Linda did not have a key to the Kill Devil Delicacies bakery. Yes, Melissa knew Linda ever since high school. Yes, she and Linda were indirect competitors since Melissa specialized in breads and French pastries while Linda was the queen of wedding cakes. She couldn’t recall the last time she saw Linda alive. They didn’t cross paths too often.

Detective “Grumpy” jumped on the idea that despite being in the same business in a very small town that the two ladies seemed to stay out of each other’s orbits. He leaned his head on his hands as he stared intently at her as if waiting for her to cave with some earth-shattering confession. Despite warning glances from his partner, he continued his line of questioning. Detective “Soft Brown Eyes” gave Melissa an apologetic look.

An hour and a half later, with Melissa’s patience worn thin by the aggravating detective, she turned to Detective Payne to ask if someone could please check on her nephew as she was worried about the boy. Surprisingly, he asked his partner to fulfill the request and stayed with her. As the door shut behind the other cop, he leaned back in the metal chair that creaked under the weight of his 6’3” frame. “Mrs. Maples, please accept my apologies for my partner’s manners, or lack thereof. I know you must be exhausted after this entire ordeal. Larry’s just anxious to wrap up his last case before retirement. He means well, really.”

Perturbed, Melissa replied, “Well, I hope he’s not planning on pinning this on an innocent person just so he can get his retirement watch from the department and go fishing.” The last thing she needed was an overzealous cop with his eye on the door instead of the evidence. Detective Payne attempted to reassure her that was not the case at all, but she still had doubts as the older man re-entered the room.

“Your nephew is fine. He’s watching television in the main lobby. The social worker has called his parents to notify them of the situation.” He appeared down right gleeful that she had been ratted out to her own brother by the social worker instead of giving her a chance to explain what had happened. John David would probably understand she hadn’t “intended” to subject his son to the dramatic sight of a dead body, but she also knew his wife, Kathleen, would be livid.

Taking a deep breath, Melissa looked the detective in the eye and asked if there was anything else they needed from her. If not, she needed to take Logan home to see to his needs. She had answered their questions over and over. Going over it again would not add anything to the case since that really was everything she knew. Sensing her frustration, Detective Payne apologized again and agreed they had all the information they needed from her. His partner added the caveat, “If you DO remember anything else, please contact us immediately.” She agreed and was allowed to leave the interview room. Finding Logan with eyes glossed over staring at the overhead television set showing reruns of “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, Melissa took his hand and they walked out the precinct doors and towards home.

Waiting on the wooden steps outside Melissa’s cottage was a petite young woman with strawberry blonde hair hanging down to the small of her back. Britney Williams was her assistant at the bakery. Britney had gorgeous, long flowing strawberry blonde hair and a flawless complexion that was the envy of every woman, young and old, in town. Dressed in her usual work attire – Capri pants and a tight, white cropped t-shirt – Melissa could read the concern in her face. The young woman was trying to hold it together but it was clear by the tears threatening to overflow her sky blue eyes that she was about to lose that fight.

Melissa, trying to remain calm herself, invited Britney inside the house and sent Logan to get a shower and rest a while in his room. He hadn’t said much on the walk home which worried her. Hopefully after they both had time to process the day’s events individually, they could console each other. Watching the young man retreat to his small bedroom at the back of the house, Melissa let out a long sigh and turned to her assistant.

She thought she was doing a good job of holding it together, but caught her hands shaking as she put water on to boil for some soothing herbal tea. Melissa was more of a coffee drinker, but circumstances being what they were, she doubted the need for more caffeine. Britney immediately began barraging her with rapid fire questions about what had happened and explaining her shock at showing up for work expecting to be chastised for being late yet again but instead finding the place cordoned off by police tape. Not wanting Logan to hear her retelling the story so as not to upset him even more, Melissa gave Britney the “shush” sign by placing her finger over her lips and motioning for her to join her on the deck.

Taking a few sips of her hot chamomile tea, Melissa filled Britney in on the events as they had transpired that morning – finding the back door to the shop open, finding the dead body of Linda Stevenson inside, and the hostile police interrogation. Shock was apparent on the young woman’s face. After taking some moments to compile her thoughts, Britney burst out, “Well, that’s just ridiculous! Why would they treat you like that? You didn’t kill her!” Melissa didn’t allow her to continue ranting for fear Logan would hear.

In a softer tone, Britney speculated who would want to murder Linda. Sure, she wasn’t the nicest lady in town and had gone out of her way to be spiteful towards Melissa when she came back to Kill Devil Hills, but that didn’t seem to make her a target for murder. The young woman seemed more alarmed that the cops had kept Melissa for questioning so long, than the actual fact that a woman had been found dead in the bakery.

Although Melissa didn’t think it would do any good, Britney insisted on talking to her boyfriend, Eddie (Edward Johnson, III to be exact) to get his daddy – billionaire shipping magnate and top dog all along the North Carolina coast – to set the police department straight. While appreciating the gesture, Melissa knew it would probably do more harm than good to have the elder Mr. Johnson make a call on her behalf.

She was saved from more of Britney’s broad declarations of getting the cops off her back when the doorbell rang announcing another guest. Not really excited about hosting a small gathering, when she just wanted to crawl back in bed and pretend this day had not happened, she reluctantly answered the door. Luckily, it was her good friend Cheryl who owned the one and only soup and salad restaurant immediately across from the Kill Devil Delicacies. Cheryl had been Melissa’s best customer since opening day by ordering daily deliveries of breadsticks and artisan bread loaves to serve with her soups and salads. They both volunteered at the local soup kitchen twice a week and provided Meals-on-Wheels as well. Their friendship had blossomed over the last couple of years. Cheryl, and their other friend Maria whose husband owned the other bakery in town, insisted that Melissa get out at least once a month for a girls’ night. At first she had resisted, but Cheryl wouldn’t allow her to sit at home by herself every night watching crime dramas or reality television. Her pestering finally worked and now Melissa looked forward to their nights out on the town. Today especially, she could use her friend’s support. At least she could count on Cheryl not to become hysterical which was close to what Britney was doing.

Seeing the frustration in Melissa’s eyes, Cheryl took charge of the situation. After a few more minutes, she had somehow convinced Britney that she should go in order for her weary boss to rest after her ordeal. Even as she was nearly shoved out the door by Cheryl, Britney continued proclaiming that she would tell the cops what was what and warn them to leave her friend alone. As the door shut behind her, both women rolled their eyes at the younger woman’s dramatics and let out simultaneous sighs of exasperation. There had been many times throughout their acquaintance that Cheryl had asked her, “How do you deal with that little tart?”

Checking on Logan, who had fallen asleep with his feet dangling off the edge of the bed and his hair still damp, Melissa kissed him softly on the forehead and pulled the covers over his lankly teenage body. She returned to the kitchen to find Cheryl warming up some of her famous bacon and cheddar potato soup on the stove. “Figured you could use some comfort food,” she ordered Melissa to take a seat and relax.

“Don’t think I will be relaxing anytime soon. Actually, what I really need to do is call my brother to let him know how Logan is holding up. Would you mind…” but before she could finish her question, Cheryl shooed her out of the kitchen to make her call. John David was concerned about them both. Surprisingly, he didn’t insist on driving out to pick up Logan and haul him back to Charlotte for the remainder of the summer but rather wanted him to remain there to support her. Part of her thought it was a sweet gesture, but the other part wondered if it had more to do with not wanting to be burdened with the drive and having to deal with a rambunctious teenage for the next three months. After years of desperately trying to have a child with her late husband and being disappointed, Melissa could never understand how her own brother and sister-in-law so nonchalantly cast their one and only child aside while they furiously focused on their high-profile banking careers.

Not feeling much better after her conversation with Logan’s father, Melissa returned to the kitchen to find Cheryl had ladled out the scrumptious soup into whole wheat bread bowls and had replaced Melissa’s cup of tea with a glass of red wine. “Thought you could use something a teeny bit stronger,” she quipped with a small grin. The two ladies sat at the table silently enjoying their soup.

It wasn’t until the soup was gone and Melissa was picking off bits of bread that she opened up to Cheryl about her experiences that day. She assumed someone had contacted Linda’s family. Her two children, Andrea and Charles (aka Chuck) were living in Atlanta and New York, respectively. Her husband was out of town at a teacher’s convention in Raleigh but was on his way back. The locals were gossiping and speculating about what had happened but no one seemed to know why Linda Stevenson had been in Melissa’s bakery or how the pleasantly plump, platinum blonde ended up dead. The cops had not yet released any information, but Cheryl expected there would be something on the evening news at least.

More relaxed now, Melissa and Cheryl continued their conversation out on the deck. A couple hours later, Logan made an appearance with his disheveled hair covering his eyes. His aunt knew without lifting the hair away that the boy’s eyes were red and swollen from crying. He was trying to give off the “I’m a big boy and can handle anything” vibe but wasn’t fooling anyone. Cheryl jumped up to fetch some soup for the young man. He ate the meal with gusto. Despite the morning’s events, there was no holding back a teenage boy’s appetite; Logan had no trouble packing away the food. Not to mention it was Cheryl’s special recipe.

Realizing the two needed their space, Cheryl made an excuse and left a little while later. At first, the aunt and nephew sat quietly out on the deck in their over-sized Adirondack chairs. Melissa was the first to break the silence by explaining that she had contacted his father. Logan didn’t seem surprised his parents intended to leave him there. Actually, he was glad. He loved his Aunt Mel dearly. Every summer she made him feel more loved and cared for than he ever felt when with his parents. He certainly didn’t wish to leave her now.

Not wanting to worry him, Melissa tried to steer the conversation away from Linda’s unfortunate demise. A few failed attempts later, they agreed to move inside and veg out in front of the television together. The sun was starting to set, but the little time spent outside had left Logan’s fair skin pinker than before and his nose more freckled. Besides, the mosquitos were relentless this time of year. They were both scratching at bites as they made their way inside.

Clicking the remote to turn on the 32 inch flat screen television she had purchased a few months back, they settled in their respective spots – hers in the oversized, well-worn chair with her feet curled underneath her and his on the matching sofa. Deciding against their usual crime drama series, Melissa sought something with a lighter fare, perhaps a comedy sitcom. Unfortunately, the chosen show was interrupted by a local news special report live from Kill Devil Hills, NC.

A smiling and attractive young woman from the local news station was broadcasting live from in front of Melissa’s bakery. “This is Sonya Patterson from News Channel 12 reporting from the scene of a gruesome murder in the quiet seaside town of Kill Devil Hills. Channel 12 has learned that the shop just behind me is a bakery owned by Melissa Jones Maples and is where her competitor Linda Patterson was found dead this morning. Local residents are shocked. The police took Mrs. Maples and her nephew into custody this morning for questioning when they responded to a 911 call. Both were later released.” Video footage showed Melissa and Logan being ushered to a waiting police car. It did indeed look like they were being “taken into custody”.

The reporter continued, “Police have not released details of the murder or discussed any evidence that was obtained from the scene. However, this reporter spoke briefly with the husband of the victim this afternoon.” A picture appeared on the screen of Mr. Stevenson as well as a telephone icon. The recording played was of a distraught husband in shock but Melissa was shocked at his words. He basically told the reporter that his wife was a saint and had never understood why Mrs. Maples despised her so much. He elaborated that the two had a fierce rivalry since high school, but his wife had tried to patch things up with her when the woman came back to town after her husband’s questionable death in an airplane crash a few years back. However, she had been rebuffed and constantly subjected to gossip orchestrated by her rival. In his mind, there was no doubt that Mrs. Maples had something to do with his wife’s death.

Shocked and outraged, Melissa tried to turn off the television but in her haste hit the volume button instead of “off”. The last thing she and Logan heard was the reporter signing off her broadcast saying, “The police have not commented but it is clear to everyone else in town that it is not a coincidence Mrs. Stevenson was found in the Kill Devil Delicacies bakery. We hope to have more information for our viewers tomorrow when the police chief gives his news conference briefing at 10 AM.”

The TV went dark and all was silent. Neither Melissa nor Logan could find their voice to say anything. Apparently, the public had made up their minds that she was to blame for Linda’s death. The woman had been found in her shop, after all. However, the malarkey about there being a fierce rivalry and that Linda had tried to be nice to her when she returned to town was ridiculous! Melissa had done her best to simply ignore the woman’s unveiled attempts at hostility for years. Frankly, she could’ve cared less about being in competition with the woman. As she saw it, they each had their own niche of the bakery market, thus there was no professional rivalry. The allusion that Kevin’s tragic death in the Cessna experimental aircraft was “questionable” was even more absurd!

With dread she looked over at Logan who had gone ashen white despite his earlier pinkish tinge. Melissa started to say something in an effort to comfort her nephew. Before she could even think of the right words to say, he unexpectedly jumped up. With anger growing in his voice and his hazel eyes flashing with gold flecks, he began to rant about the stupidity of the entire situation. How could anyone believe his Aunt Mel had anything to do with that crazy woman’s death?! That reporter should be fired immediately and Mr. Stevenson is obviously in need of a shrink if he believes even half of the bull---- coming out of his mouth! She allowed him to continue to pace the living room and rave about the lack of sense and justice being shown by this little “hick” town.

Listening to her nephew, dread built up in Melissa’s mind. If folks really believed she was guilty of killing Linda she was in trouble. Even the detective from earlier today was ready to write her off as the killer so he could waltz over to his retirement party. If the town had already made its mind up against her, and the cops weren’t going to do their job and find the real killer, that left her only one option. Find the killer herself, before they locked her up for a crime she did not commit.