Andrea
Benjamin didn’t know what to make of the news, but he was sure there was some logical explanation for why Carolyn’s and Cecil’s prints would be on the same microwave popcorn bag, although he couldn’t think of one.
A few days later, Detective Peck showed up at my door while I was in the middle of paying bills. I stuck my pen behind my ear and let him in. “What’s the matter? You’re here. I usually have to send up flares to get your attention.”
His smile could disarm. I was sure it did when he put his mind to it.
“The phone has its uses, but it has its limitations also,” he said.
“You’re scaring me. What happened?”
“The gun used to kill Eugene Sherwood showed up.”
“Whoa.” I walked into the living room and felt for the chair before lowering myself into it. “Seriously? Where?”
“It belongs to Cecil Chambers, or I should say it belongs to someone in his family. We found it at his bookstore.”
“Cecil’s bookstore?”
“Yep.”
“My God. His car at the scene, his prints on the popcorn bag and now he has the gun that killed Eugene? Something’s not tracking. When I found out he had a car like Mrs. Tuddle described, I expected a tie to Carolyn’s murder, not Eugene’s. I’m confused. What reason would Cecil have to shoot Eugene?”
“I don’t know yet, but I thought you’d want to hear about this sooner rather than later.”
“What did Cecil say?”
“He’s pleading the fifth.”
Standing, I paced back in forth in front of the fireplace mantel. I handed him a picture of Carolyn and Roy. “This is my sister, by the way.”
“Wow, that’s a nice picture. Holding her son like that, you can tell she loved him very much.” He placed it back on the mantel.
“So Michael and Detective Haines weren’t just pulling rabbits out of the air? There really is a link between the two murders?”
Detective Peck adjusted the winter scarf around his neck. “That would be my guess, yes.”
“It seems obvious to me, and if there is a connection, it has to be Sharon.”
“Sharon Dunn?” Detective Peck was still standing.
“Have a seat,” I said.
He took off his coat and sat down on the couch. I sat next to him. “Yes, Sharon Dunn, Cecil’s girlfriend.”
“Take it easy. Don’t jump to conclusions. Why couldn’t your fiancé be the link, or it could have been something personal between Cecil and Eugene, or you could be the common link. You never know. Sit tight and let us do our job.”
Too excited to sit tight even for a second, I stood with my hands in front of me to help plead my case. “But you always say that, Detective. Maybe you should check out Sharon’s place. Sure, it’s possible that Eugene and Cecil had a beef, but for a strong enough motive to kill someone? I don’t know. I’m laying odds it’s got something to do with Sharon.”
“And maybe, Ms. Young, you should come down and fill out an application for the police academy.”
“That’s not fair. I’m only making suggestions, not telling you how to do your job. If I’m a pest, I have a right to be. I just want answers, and I thought we were supposed to be on the same page about that.”
He stood, nodding in slight concession. “Yeah, well. We’re doing the best we can.”
“Thanks for coming to tell me in person. I appreciate it.”
“Not a problem. Good night.”
I called Benjamin with news of the latest development. He kept repeating, “Cecil had the gun that killed Eugene?” and I kept saying, “Yes.”
He said, “I don’t get it. I feel like I walked into a movie an hour late, because I have no idea what’s going on. Maybe the police made a mistake.”
“Anything is possible, I suppose,” I said. “Cecil isn’t saying anything.”
He sighed as if he was exhaling his dying breath. “Okay, I’ll see what I can find out and let you know.”