Kelly's Koffee Shop (A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystey Book 1) (15 page)

“No, why don’t I keep it?
A lot of the cheerleaders’ parents come in here and I’ll see if it belongs to
one of them.”

“Well, if you don’t mind.
That’s fine with me and it would save me a trip to the school. Looks like it
got torn or something. I seem to remember them being much longer.”

“Yes, it does look like
something’s happened to it. Thanks again for bringing these by.”

“We were all talking this
morning about your cheesecake. Any chance we could have that next month instead
of something breakfasty? We all agreed it was crazy to have cheesecake at eight
in the morning, but we decided we wouldn’t tell anyone else about it.”

“Not a problem. I’ll plan
on it. See you soon.”

As soon as Dottie left,
she took the blue ribbon from the top tray and examined it. She was certain it
was the other half of the ribbon Amber had given to the “mystery man.”

She finished her iced tea
and washed the glass, thinking about the events of the last hour.
I never
did feel that Madison was the one who killed Amber and after talking to her
today, I’m more certain than ever. Sure, someone might feel guilty about what
they’d done and turn to religion, but what sticks with me is that Father Brown
told Madison her sins were no worse than anyone else’s. I don’t think she would
lie about that, particularly now that I’m going to be her sponsor. She knows I
could always ask Father Brown if he’d said that. He couldn’t tell me what sins
she may have confessed to him, but I’m sure he’d tell me if he said that her sins
were no worse than anyone else’s. I don’t think Madison is a pathological liar
or psychotic. I think she’s a kid who’s had a lousy home life. I hope
everything works out for her. I just don’t think she’s the killer.

And the blue ribbon? Sure
could have come from Chris’ boat. I don’t think Doc did it, but maybe if I pay
him another visit, I can find out a little more about him and see if he keeps a
boat on the property.

“Come on, Rebel. Time to
visit Doc again, but no filet mignon this time.”

Kelly pulled into the driveway of
Doc’s ranch, opened the minivan door, and walked around to get Rebel out of the
back seat. Doc was standing at the front door. “Kelly, two visits in one week.
I must be pretty special. Come on in. What can I do for you?” he said, reaching
down and scratching Rebel’s ears.

“Doc, you know once you
start that, he won’t let you stop,” she said laughing. “He might let you pause
for a few minutes, but he’ll definitely be back for more.”

“Yeah, I know. I learned
that early on at the coffee shop. He doesn’t wag his tail at me for treats. He
comes for scratches.” He knelt down and looked Rebel in the eye. “I’m wise to
you, boy.”

“Doc, mind if we sit down?
I’d like to talk very honestly with you.”

“Of course not, Kelly.
Shoot. What’s so important that it couldn’t wait until lunch tomorrow?”

“Doc, from what you told
me about you and Amber a couple of days ago, you and I both know you could be a
suspect in Amber’s murder, but I just don’t see you doing it. I know I might be
in danger by coming here and talking to you if you murdered her, so I’m
trusting my intuition by coming here today. I have a gut feeling you didn’t
tell me everything the other day.”

“Kelly, I appreciate your
trust in me. Let me reassure you I did not do it.” He took a deep breath.
“Okay, I’m going to be perfectly honest with you, just as you requested. Yes, I
had a motive for killing her, but I didn’t do it.”

“Why don’t you tell me
what that motive might be? And if you didn’t kill her, maybe I can figure out
who did after we talk. I’d really like to eliminate you from the list of
suspects.”

“Believe me, that makes
two of us.” Doc swallowed several times and began, “What I told you the other
day was the truth, but there’s a little more to it. Amber came back to the
ranch and paid me a visit for a second time a day later. She told me she’d
thought about it a lot and she was pretty sure she wanted an abortion. She said
she had to tell the father first and she was planning on doing that the next
morning.”

“Was that the morning she
was murdered?”

“Yes. What I left out the
other day was that although I was acquitted in the murder of the young woman in
Southern California, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed against me by the
girl’s parents in civil court. I told you it was an election year and her
father made sure that he got all the publicity he could from it. I was found
liable in the lawsuit and the jury awarded the parents damages in the amount of
three million dollars. I was afraid I would lose everything, all of my family
antiques, the art, and everything else I’d inherited. I told you the truth
about coming up here and starting a new life.”

Well, that’s interesting.
Funny Mike’s research never came up with any information about the civil
lawsuit,
Kelly thought.

“So they’ve never found
you? Do you know if they’re still looking for you?”

“The parents died in a
plane crash a few months after the trial. They were flying in a private plane
to a political event in Palm Springs that was being held by a wealthy donor of
his. According to what I learned on the Internet, apparently there was an
engine malfunction. The pilot and the parents were killed instantly when the
plane crashed into Mt. San Jacinto outside of Palm Springs. Even though the
accident was investigated by the NTSB, they never could determine the exact
cause of the accident. Fortunately, if anyone had found me, people in your
coffee shop could swear that I had been in the coffee shop every day that week.
After the parents died, their son received the right to collect the judgment
against me, but he couldn’t find me, and I think he’s given up. I’d vanished
only to wind up right here in Cedar Bay.”

“What does that have to do
with Amber?”

“I told you that I had
told her about the criminal trial. Evidently she researched it on the Internet
and discovered the information about the civil trial. I told her I wouldn’t
perform the abortion under any circumstances. I mean, think about it. Where
would I do it? I told her the same thing and she said she was sure I could do
it right here at the ranch. She threatened to expose me. She told me if I
didn’t perform the abortion once she’d decided to go through with it, she’d
make sure that everything I owned would be seized by the court in order to pay
the civil money judgment entered against me. She’d obviously done some
research.

“You might be surprised if
I told you these antiques and the artwork you see here in my home are probably
worth a couple of million dollars. They mean everything to me and I don’t want
to lose them. I was desperately afraid she would carry out her threat and
expose me.”

“Good grief. That’s a
classic case of blackmail and certainly would provide you with a motive for
killing Amber.”

“I know that. I kicked
myself after you were here the other day for having told you about my past. I
knew I would be very high on the suspect list with a motive like that, but
Kelly, you’ve got to believe me, I didn’t do it.”

“Doc, I never wanted to
believe that you did do it. It never felt right to me. Let’s think this
through. The ocean played a part in her death. She was drowned in the bay. Do
you have a boat?”

“Kelly, this is
embarrassing, but I can’t even swim. I’m scared to death of the ocean and I’d
never consider owning a boat. I was a book nerd when I grew up. I went to college
when I was sixteen and graduated in three years. Then I went to medical school
and became one of the youngest medical doctors in California history. My whole
life was about learning and my parents pushed me hard to become a doctor. No
other career was an option for me from the time I started reading at a very
early age. Physical exercise simply was not a part of my life. My parents never
wanted me to participate in any sports because they were afraid I might be
injured and wouldn’t be able to become a doctor. Even something like swimming
was off limits to me. You’ll notice I’m probably the only person around here
who doesn’t have a horse. That’s another thing I was never allowed to do – ride
a horse.”

“Doc, have you ever even
been on a boat?”

“No. I not only have never
been on a boat, but I would be terrified to be on one. I like things I can
control. I can’t control the ocean. It frightens me to even think about it.”

“Well, it seems to me that
whoever did this had a pretty good knowledge of the ocean. I mean if her body
was pulled into shore, someone had to put her out there in the bay. From what
you’re telling me, that wouldn’t be you.”

“No, it certainly
wouldn’t. Kelly, you’re not part of law enforcement. I know that you’re close
to the county sheriff, but why are you trying so hard to solve this case?”

“I’m Amber’s godmother and
her mother, Ginger, is my closest friend. I feel I have a responsibility to
Amber and her mother to find out who did this.”

“I didn’t know that. Since
you’re not officially part of any law enforcement agency, can you tell me who
else you suspect? Maybe I can help. Having treated so many people over the
years, I’m a pretty good gauge of human nature.”

“Okay. I’ve identified
five suspects, all of whom have a motive for killing Amber. I’ve pretty much
eliminated three of them and you would make the fourth.” She told him her
suspicions about Jeff. She said he was one of the three she had pretty much
eliminated, but that she could be wrong. Next she described her recent
conversation with Madison and why she didn’t think she murdered Amber. Then she
went on and told him that while Brandon might have had a motive, just as
Madison and Jeff did, she didn’t think he’d done it.

“I agree with your
analysis of those people. I don’t think any of three of them did it for the
same reasons. If you eliminate me, that leaves one suspect. Want to tell me
about him or her?”

“Doc, I hate to accuse
anyone and I sure don’t want to start a rumor, but I know you’re very discrete.
Here’s what I think.” She told him all the reasons she thought Chris was the
murderer, concluding with the weights she’d seen on his boat. She also told him
she thought Chris might suspect that she knew something and that Mike was
concerned about her safety. “Actually, Doc, Mike insisted that he spend the
nights at my home until this case is solved. He’s worried I could be in danger.
I reminded him Rebel was a guard dog, but he still insisted.”

“I can see why, Kelly.
It’s pretty obvious to anyone who’s seen Mike with you that he’s crazy about
you. I’m not at all surprised he’s concerned. I would be too.” He sat for
several minutes thinking about what she’d said. “Back to Amber. In a normal
case, we could compare Chris’ DNA and the DNA of the unborn child, however,
since Amber was cremated, that isn’t possible. I suppose if he’s nervous enough
about being exposed, he’ll do something to trip himself up, but we can’t count
on that.”

“There’s one other thing,
Doc. I’ll be back in a minute.” She walked out to the old minivan. “Do you
recognize this?” she asked when she returned, holding up the blue ribbon.

He took it from her hand
and looked at it. “I think Amber used to wear one like this. What is it?”

“Pretty much a status
symbol. The high school cheerleaders are given blue ribbons like this when they
make the squad. They’re really proud of them and they wear them all year. This
one’s too short. It looks like it was cut in half.” 

He ran his finger over the
edge. “Yes, this definitely seems to have been cut or torn.”

“Doc, there’s something
else I need to tell you. I found Amber’s diary and read it. In it she referred
to her pregnancy, a ‘mystery man,’ and her debate with herself over whether or
not she should terminate the pregnancy. Here’s the thing. She said that her
‘mystery man’ wanted a memento from her and she’d given him half of her blue
ribbon. I’m certain this is it. It was given to me by a woman who was returning
some trays to me at the coffee shop. I’d baked some things for the yacht club
and she’d found it on the gangway when she went to her boat to see her nephew.”

“Wow! With Chris living on
his boat and using that gangway, if we could find his fingerprints on it, I
would think it could be used as evidence.”

“I don’t know. Seems to me
there would be so many fingerprints on it, it wouldn’t stand up in court. Who
knows how many people have touched it? And now both of our fingerprints are on
it.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s
probably a good thing I never went into law enforcement. I didn’t think of
that.”

“I wonder what Chris would
say if I told him that Amber had confided in me and told me she was sure he was
the father of her unborn child and she was debating what to do. I could tell
him I suggested she should tell him and see what he said, that maybe he would
want the baby and want to marry her.”

“I don’t think you should
do that, Kelly. That seems awfully dangerous.”

“I’d take Rebel with me.
You know how protective he is of me. This can’t go on much longer, Doc. And if
he had nothing to do with it, I’m sure he’ll have a plausible explanation for
everything.”