I POURED CHIEF MEYERS A cup of coffee while we recounted what we remembered with as much detail as possible. She took rapid notes, stopping us every once in a while for clarification.
When she was finished with her list of questions, she pushed the notebook aside and relaxed her body language. “Back to your original question, Sloan. Conrad confessed everything.”
Her flashlight danced off the ceiling as she spoke. “We’d been closing in on him. Got ahold of his financials. The shop was in terrible shape. Conrad already filed for bankruptcy. He was going to lose the business.”
“Do you think he went to Kristopher for help?” Garrett asked. He cradled his left arm as he spoke. I wondered if he was in more pain than he was letting on.
The chief nodded. “Yep. We found a moving van behind his shop loaded with valuable nutcrackers. If it hadn’t been for your tip, he might be halfway to Seattle by now. He probably figured he could get far enough away and then buy himself some extra time while we dug out from the damage. It’s not a bad plan.”
“But aren’t the highways closed?” I was slowly starting to come out of my fog. What time was it? I checked my watch. It was almost five in the morning. Garrett had lied. I had obviously slept for more than a half hour.
“Yep. Many of them are shut down, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have found an alternate route or blown past the detours. This was a man with nothing left to lose, remember.”
I nodded.
“He told us that he had approached Kristopher about investing in the shop. Kristopher took a look at his books and declined. Conrad was furious. Kristopher was an astute businessman. He knew that the nutcracker shop was a losing venture. Apparently, he went to Conrad’s competitor, Stan, and offered him a chunk of money. This sent Conrad over the edge. He had poured his life savings into the shop. He didn’t have a dime to his name, and he was convinced that Kristopher was toying with him. He went to talk to Kristopher. He and Kristopher argued, and the built-up stress and rage reached critical mass. He says he didn’t intend to kill Kristopher. That things took a bad turn.”
“Do you believe him?” Garrett asked.
Chief Meyers rested her flashlight on the counter. “I do. He said he was at his shop early the morning of the murder, unloading a new shipment. He saw Kristopher heading to April’s office and seized the opportunity. He followed after him and confronted him about offering Stan a partnership. Kristopher was smug about it, and Conrad snapped. There was a struggle and then he grabbed the scissors from the wall and stabbed Kristopher.”
“That means April is in the clear?” I said, already knowing the answer.
“She is, and it sounds like she has you to thank for that, at least in part.” Chief Meyers smiled ever so slightly. “If I were you, Sloan, I wouldn’t let her forget that.”
Garrett laughed. “Imagine the power. Maybe you should let her sweat it out a while longer.”
“I can’t condone that,” Chief Meyers said. “It won’t matter anyway. The news of Conrad’s arrest will quickly surpass any news about the storm by sunrise. Mark my words.”
“What about Heidi and Valerie? They’re both in the clear, right?”
“Yes. Both of them had their own motives for killing Kristopher, but neither of them acted on their anger. We’ve got our killer in custody with a full confession. This should be enough for the DA. We’ll continue to follow up by matching DNA evidence found at the crime scene to Conrad and sorting through Kristopher’s financials. Plus, we found Conrad trying to dispose of the murder weapon. He hasn’t admitted it, but I’m sure his intent at the Underground tonight was to frame Ross. He knew that Ross was on our radar and figured if we found the murder weapon at his property it would implicate him. The DA is going to love me. It should be an open-and-shut case.”
I couldn’t believe Conrad had been so desperate that he had actually killed Kristopher. I was glad to know that the real killer was behind bars and that life in the village could return to normal, but I also felt sad for Conrad. I loved our village and Nitro too. I could imagine Conrad’s desperation. It didn’t give him the right to take Kristopher’s life, but I understood his motivation.
“I need to get back to the office. We’re coordinating storm cleanup now that the bulk of the high winds are behind us. I wanted to thank you and make sure that you heard the news first.” She picked up her flashlight. “Be careful out there.”
“Chief.” I called for her to wait. “Do you think it’s safe to go to the farmhouse to check on Alex?”
“It’s looking better out there, but watch your speed and keep an eye out for debris. The crews have already cleared two large oak trees from Front Street. I don’t know what the highway is like, though, so use caution.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
After she left, Garrett ran his fingers through his already disheveled hair. “I never imagined that starting a nanobrewery here would lead to such excitement and danger.”
“I know. I didn’t see that coming. My theory sounded crazy, even to me, but at the same time, it makes sense. I feel sorry for Conrad. Is that wrong?”
He shook his head. “No. I get it. I would probably feel desperate if I was about to lose Nitro. Not that I would kill anyone, but if he felt like he didn’t have any other options or support, I can see how it might have led him down that path. It’s too bad.”
“For nutcrackers.”
Garrett gave a low whistle. “For nutcrackers.”
“The good news is that, hopefully, April will back off for a while. I mean if Conrad killed over losing his nutcrackers, that alone should give the woman pause.”
“That’s really wishful thinking, Sloan.”
“True. Very true.” I took the empty coffee cups to the sink. “I’m going to go check on the house and Alex. You’re sure you don’t need anything?”
“No. I’ll take some Advil and try to sleep.” He walked with me to the front. “Don’t come in until later. Who knows if we’ll even have power.”
“I’ll check in later.”
He locked the door behind me. The sky was a light shade of purple, allowing my first view of the storm’s aftermath. Tree branches and other debris lined the street. I had to pull two huge tree branches from my windshield, but fortunately my car hadn’t sustained any damage. Snow continued to fall and had begun sticking in earnest now that the winds had died down.
Front Street was a sea of flashing yellow lights and work crews. There were strands of Christmas lights littering the sidewalk. Those poor work crews, I thought as I slowly drove up the street. Not only did they have to clean up the storm damage, but then they would have to put up all the lights again.
It took an extra twenty minutes to navigate to the farmhouse. I had to steer past obstacles like a shattered plastic chair. Twice, I had to detour because of trees fallen across the roadway.
When I pulled into our long gravel driveway, I was relieved to see the house intact. All of our sturdy evergreens were still standing. Thank God. With their dusting of snow, they reminded me of the pine tree shortbread I had made.
I parked and went inside. Mac and Alex were both snoring on the living room floor. They had taken all of the couch cushions and pillows to make a pile on the floor and covered themselves with blankets. It reminded me of when Alex was in preschool and we would have “campouts” in the living room. I had a feeling Mac had suggested sleeping in the living room because it was the most central and hence safest room in the house.
I blew Alex a kiss and tiptoed down the hall. My family was safe, and Kristopher’s killer had been apprehended. There was going to be much to do today, but as I slipped into bed, I said a prayer of thanks and gratitude. Regardless of my strained relationship with Mac, I was surrounded by people I loved and people who loved me. I couldn’t ask for anything more.