He left the gym with the cart, and when he returned minutes later from the direction of the cafeteria, the cart was holding plastic coffee cups, spoons, plates, napkins, and fixings for the coffee. I ambled in that general direction. After Rusty’s third trip, the cart carried three platters piled high with donuts, the refreshments promised in the email about the meeting. The moment he stepped away from the table, everyone who’d been watching his progress made a beeline for the food. Nerves, boredom, and discomfort made for a bad case of the nibbles.
I was among the first to reach the table. I took two paper plates and put a chocolate donut on one for Merlin and a jelly donut on the other for Tilly. I had to do a slalom run around the people still trying to reach the table, protecting the donuts from the jostling and bumping on every side. While we were stuck in there, they were a commodity as valuable as gold.
When I reached Merlin’s row, he was the only one still in his seat. The others had decided they needed coffee and donuts more than a comfortable chair. The few who had brought a sweater or jacket left the clothing behind in hopes of saving their seats. I didn’t put the odds in their favor. Without feet or knees to navigate around, I slipped easily into the row and handed Merlin his donut before heading to the podium. I wasn’t looking forward to Duggan’s reaction, but I knew a donut would go a long way to improving my aunt’s emotional state.
The detective was too focused on my aunt to notice my approach. Since surprising him didn’t seem like a good strategy, I cleared my throat to let him know I was there. He was not happy to see me, but Tilly’s eyes lit up when she saw the donut.
“This isn’t some little meet and greet we’re conducting,” he growled at me. “If you continue to interfere, I’ll have Officer Curtis haul you down to the holding cell and lock you up until morning.”
“My niece is worried about me, Detective,” Tilly said, finding her mettle now that the donut and I had been threatened. “I have a problem with low blood sugar. You don’t want me passing out on you, do you?”
Duggan chewed on that for a moment before turning back to me. “Give your aunt the damned donut, but I don’t want to see you up here again until I call you. Got that?”
I thanked him and reached up to put the plate in her outstretched hand. “It’s okay, dear girl,” she said, making the most of her new role as a woman with a condition. “Not to worry. I’ll be just fine.”
Two hours later we piled back into my car. It was easy to find, being one of the last cars in the lot. After Tilly was excused, the detective had called Beverly and then Merlin. At that point, I hadn’t worked out if I should tell the wizard to stick to the truth. If he took that advice too far, he might end up in the psyche ward of the nearest hospital. Instead, I went with “answer every question with as few words as possible.” His interview was mercifully short, but judging by Duggan’s confused expression, I was afraid to ask Merlin for details. I hoped to be called next, but Duggan kept me waiting and waiting, until the end. My comeuppance for irritating him? Or maybe his nose was still out of joint because I captured Jim’s killer before he could.
By the time he’d finally called my name, I’d gone from feeling anxious to not caring to just wanting to go home. Duggan had sounded tired too and bored. He had me account for my time that day, describe my relationship with the deceased, and rate her performance as a board member. He also wanted to know which side of the Waverly controversy I supported. Although I was staunchly opposed to the large hotel and what it would mean for the charming, provincial character of our town, I didn’t know what Amanda’s position had been. And I definitely didn’t want to sound like I was at odds with her. I’d learned that it doesn’t take much to become a person of interest in our town. Instead, I said that I wanted to keep an open mind until I heard the give and take at the now aborted meeting. I could only hope that my aunt had had enough presence of mind not to commit herself either. She was uncharacteristically reticent after her interview, deflecting my questions with a shake of her head.
“I refuse to attend any more of your meetings,” Merlin announced once we were underway. “Meetings are an insufferable waste of time. Apparently it matters not if it’s the Knights of the Round Table or your backwater town board meeting.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied. I could have told him that our meetings don’t usually include a murder and a police investigation, but I didn’t bother. Experience had taught me that arguing with Merlin was more frustrating for me than it was educational for him. Better to save my breath for more important matters. Besides, now that we were away from the detective, I wanted to hear about what my aunt called her “grilling.”
“Did Detective Duggan warn you not to talk to anyone about the interview?” I asked her.
“Not exactly.”
“Meaning?”
“He said if I discussed the interview with anyone and influenced their answers, I’d be charged with interfering with the investigation.” The words flew out of her mouth like pent-up lava from a dormant volcano.
Although my knowledge of the law was limited to what I’d read in books or seen on TV and in the movies, it sounded like an empty threat. It wasn’t hard to understand why Duggan used it. He wanted to keep people from coaching each other to avoid contradictory statements. Even the innocent worry about saying the wrong thing. I know because I’d been worried about undermining Tilly with my responses.
“I don’t think there’s any law that says you can’t talk about a police interview,” I said as I swung my car into her driveway and brought it to a stop. “Duggan never mentioned that when he questioned me about Gary. Did he warn you about it back then?”
“No,” she said indignantly. “You’re right! The nerve of that man! What do you want to know, Kailyn? Ask me anything. I’ll sing like a bird.” Without waiting for a question, Tilly gave me a complete rundown of her interview. The questions were basically the same ones he asked me but more detailed.
“Did he ask where you stand on the Waverly hotel?” I asked.
“I told him I haven’t decided yet. Only a fool would have grabbed that noose and looped it around her own neck.”
I heaved a quiet sigh of relief and then chastised myself for thinking she wouldn’t know how to handle herself. “That was it?”
“No, now that I think about it. He wanted to know who reached Amanda’s body first.”
“Who did?” I asked, annoyed I hadn’t thought of that earlier. Talk about an important piece of information. Rest easy, Nancy Drew. I still have a lot to learn.
“Beverly did. She was standing over the body when I got there.”
“But she didn’t scream until you screamed.”
“Maybe she was in shock, and when she saw me, she snapped out of it.”
“Howsoever that may be,” Merlin piped up from the back seat, “we are not going to solve this crime tonight regardless of how long we remain in this vehicle. I beg of you, ladies, let us go inside.”
“When he’s right, he’s right,” Tilly said. “Besides, I could do with something to eat.”
“Ice cream,” Merlin proposed in a more jovial tone. “Is there more hot fudge to be had?”
“I’m not sure, but there is whipped cream.”
I wished them good night, and they got out of the car debating the relative merits of hot fudge to whipped cream, if one had to choose. On