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BEFORE LONG, THE POLICE were on the scene at the Gazette. Luckily, the police station was also located in the Town Square so it didn’t take long for officers to get there.
Soon enough crowds had formed and began to gather outside the old Victorian-converted office building in the Town Square. This was not looking good. The whole situation wasn’t looking good at all.
Dana stood to the side as the officers observed the area. They were speaking with the senior editor of the Berry Cove Gazette and the rest of the staff about what happened.
“Dana! Oh, thank heavens. Are you all right?” Aunt Nia rushed in through the front doors of the building.
“Okay, Ma’am. I’m afraid you’re going to have to step aside. This is a homicide investigation.” One of the detectives spoke sternly to Aunt Nia.
“But my niece is here.”
“Who’s your niece, ma’am?” The tall handsome detective asked. He looked tired and weary as if he’d just finished the end of his night shift which had now been extended since this unexpected case. He had dark blond hair, blue-green eyes from what Dana could tell and what looked like an old surgical scar on the side of his face. But, oh, was he handsome.
“Dana.”
“Hi, Aunt Nia. I’m fine, really.”
“You don’t look so fine, sweetie. What happened?”
“I just got here and...”
“We’re going to be speaking with you, too.” The officer took out his notepad and sighed heavily. I’m Detective Evan Markson from Homicide. He flashed his badge before proceeding. “All right. Let’s begin. First of all, name?”
“Dana Sweet.”
“Address?”
“I live at...” Dana paused for a moment. She had to get used to not having a zip code any longer. She was no longer a city girl from Brooklyn, New York. She was now a small town resident of Berry Cove. “123-A Berry Lane.”
“123-A Berry Lane?”
Uh-oh. Dana guessed her grandmother’s address was a famous and popular place this part of town.
“Wait a minute. Are you Ma Rae’s granddaughter?” Another detective asked. Probably the guy’s partner. “I’m Detective Troy Anders. You’re grandmother was a good citizen here.” He was also handsome, Dana noted. He was just as tall as the other detective, if not a bit taller. She guessed they were both over six feet tall. But Detective Troy had darker hair. Brunette. Short cropped with ocean-blue eyes that sparkled and high chiseled cheekbones. Still, his expression did not seem as friendly as Detective Evan’s.
“Yes. Yes, I am, as a matter of fact.”
“So, it was your cupcake that Bradley Farmer Jackson was eating this morning?” Detective Evan interjected. “From the café. You’re the new owner, right?”
Dana watched in horror as a team of forensic specialists observed the cupcake, took snapshots for evidence before placing it into a plastic bag. Probably for analysis.
She swallowed hard.
Dang, those nerves.
Dana hated to swallow hard when nervous. It made her look, well, probably guilty or showed lack of confidence.
She noticed the detective glancing at her neck when she swallowed. He probably thought she was guilty of sin. Which, of course, she wasn’t. No where even close.
“Well, I....I’m not sure.”
“Hey, wait a minute,” Detective Troy said to forensics as they were passing by with the cupcake in a bag. He observed it and saw the logo on the purple wrapper. “That’ll be all. Take it to the lab.” He then gave Dana a cynical look. He went back to his notepad.
“We have our cupcakes delivered to many businesses in the area. That’s nothing unusual.” Dana finally added.
“You aren’t possibly saying she had anything to do with this, are you?” Aunt Nia said. Her hands on her hips, ready to fight for Dana.
“We’re just asking questions right now, Ma’am.”
Dana tried to regain her composure. A cup of resilience, that’s one of the ingredients in her grandmother’s recipe for a good day. Resilience. Boy, did she need it now and more than a cup full. She could also do with a cup of coffee, strong and black, too!
“Where were you between the hours of seven and nine this morning?” Detective Troy asked her pointedly. His voice was smooth and silky like warm honey, yet strong and deep. She was almost mesmerized by him but she had to shift her focus off his deliciously ocean blue eyes. God, the man probably thought she was a murderer for goodness sake, why was she even thinking he was remotely good looking. Besides, she was so sworn off men—for now.
“Between the hours of seven and nine?” Dana scrambled her brain, trying to think. Her mind was an empty bowl of nerves right now.
“Yes, ma’am,” he sighed heavily, clearly impatient with her long pauses. But she was still in shock. Her mind was numb.
Goodness gracious!
A man was just killed!
In Berry Cove!
Talk about major drama. She would have never expected this from a cozy small town like the one her Grandmother grew up in. The very same small town where she visited often and spent memorable times with her grandparents during her early days. This was only supposed to happen on the big screen or in big cities. Certainly not small town Berry Cove, famously known as the land of fresh berries and produce and friendly warm welcomes.
“Well, I was...I was actually at home at seven o’clock.”
Detective Troy scribbled down notes on his pad.
“Then,” she continued. “I got ready and came into the café to check on things.”
“The café opens at seven,” Aunt Nia added.
“I know.” Detective Troy’s voice was void of emotion.
Uh-oh!
Did he think Dana had something to do with this murder? And that she was possibly trying to cover her tracks? But then why in Sam’s name would she return to the scene, if she did? Right. Because sometimes suspects do that. Duh! She was the writer of a mystery riddles blog, she should know that by now.
Of course, he probably knew. Half the town probably got their morning pick me up at the CCC before heading into work. It was known for that. Even long before Dana took it over and renamed it the Cozy Cupcakes Café.
Dana had a thought pop into her mind, just then. Should she mention that she bumped into Mike the mail guy, earlier and he seemed to be rushing away from the Gazette?
Just what was he doing there anyway? She couldn’t wait to tell her Aunt Nia after she spoke with the cops, of course. But then again, probably Mike being in the area meant nothing. After all, it was a free country, right? He was probably just seeing an old friend of his, right?
Just then, Detective Evan walked back over to them. He, too, had a notepad in his hand and had been interviewing other witnesses. Dana looked around and saw Mike the mail guy leaving. Did he just finished speaking with the cops? When did he get back to the Gazette? Dana’s mind was spinning.
Her thoughts raced back to her brief encounter with the town gossip, Gerdie-Sue, saying that folks don’t like different in this small town.
Were people trying to push her out by pinning this on her?
She really had to give her mind a break from thinking. Dana was beginning to get a tension headache.
Maybe she was being too dramatic here. There was no reason to be so harsh with her assessment of them.
Wait a minute! Oh, yes there was. There was a very good reason for her to be suspicious.
It looked as if she might be framed for murder!