“I’m just saying, Amy shouldn’t be the focal point of your entire investigation.”

  “Why are you defending Amy so much? Are you friends or something?”

  “No. She was just a client.”

  “Then how come you are coming to her defense so much?

  “I’m not.”

  “It sure seems like it.”

  “I’m just telling you to keep your eyes open. I admit. There’s a chance that she could be guilty,” I said. “Then again, she might be innocent.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “If you ask me, there’s nothing fair about any of this. I can’t believe a murder took place in this town. When was the last time something like that happened?”

  “I don’t know. It has definitely been a while.”

  “That’s the way I like it.”

  “I’m right there with you. I moved back here to get away from cases like this.”

  My eyebrows rose. “Is that the main reason you moved back to Majestic Cove?”

  “One of the reasons.”

  “There’s more than one?”

  “I don’t really have time to get into that right now. It’s kind of a long story.”

  “I’m looking forward to hearing it one day.”

  “You will. Just not today. I have a lot of work to do.”

  “All right. Well, good luck,” I said.

  Chapter Four

  While most of the residents in town couldn’t think about anything other than the murder, my mother had different things on her mind. She wasn’t afraid to tell me all about them. As a matter of fact, the moment she got on the phone with me, she got right to the point.

  “It’s time for you to have a serious relationship,” she said.

  “Wow. Don’t hold your feelings back or anything,” I joked.

  “Melody, this is no laughing matter. You need to fall in love and settle down.”

  “Sure. I’ll get right on that.”

  “I’m being serious.”

  “I know you are. I also don’t think you realize that life is a little more complicated than that. Just because you want me to fall in love doesn’t mean that I can make Mr. Right materialize out of thin air.”

  “I didn’t say it would be easy, but it’s necessary. After all, you’re not getting any younger.”

  “I don’t know why you felt the need to bring that up.”

  “Because it’s the truth.”

  “Bold statements are just spilling out of your mouth left and right this morning, aren’t they?”

  “I don’t know what to tell you. When I woke up this morning, I felt like the future was warning me that the window for making my dreams come true is getting a lot tighter.”

  I squinted. “Your dreams?”

  “Yes. I want my only daughter to be happily married. I also want you to make me a grandmother.”

  “Stop right there. This conversation just took a turn that I’m not comfortable with.”

  “Why?”

  “There’s no way that I can think about having a baby at this stage in my life.”

  “Wait a minute. You don’t feel like you’re biological clock is ticking out of control?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I didn’t really want to have this conversation right now, but you’ve kind of forced the issue on me.”

  “What are you talking about?” my mother replied.

  “Honestly, I’m not even sure that I want to have babies,” I said.

  My mother gasped. “Are you serious?”

  “Mom, there’s no need to react that way.”

  “Of course, there is. You’re my only child.”

  “I know that.”

  “Which means you’re the only chance I have of becoming a grandmother.”

  I sighed. “Are you really going to put pressure on me to have kids?”

  “Honey, you know it’s been a dream of mine to become a grandma. Oh, the spoiling I would do.”

  “I hate to pull your head out of the clouds, but have you forgotten that there’s currently a murder investigation going on?”

  “Scott’s the one conducting that investigation, not you. In fact, you have nothing to do with that case.”

  “My point is this. Knowing that there’s a killer on the loose in town, I just don’t think it’s the best time to have a conversation about finding Mr. Right. Or having kids.”

  “I think you’re wrong. I believe it’s a great time.”

  “Why?”

  “A discussion like this takes my mind off of the horrible things that are taking place in town.”

  “That’s an interesting perspective.”

  “Do you know what’s really interesting?”

  “What?”

  “You keep bringing up how hard it is to find Mr. Right, but I think you’re just complicating your search. I already know who the perfect man for you is.”

  I took a deep breath and replied, “This should be good.”

  “Isn’t the answer obvious? Scott is Mr. Right.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I know you’ve been skeptical about my recommendations in the past, but hear me out. Scott is a great choice. He’s a wonderful man. You’ve been friends for years,” my mother said. “If anything, it’s crazy that you two never got together the first time that he lived in town. Now that he’s back, though, don’t let this opportunity pass you by.”

  “Mom, we’ve had this discussion before—”

  My mother cut me off. “And we’re going to have it again. Because your explanation doesn’t add up.”

  “The timing was never right for us. Either he was in a relationship while I was single or he was single while I was in a relationship,” I said. “Sometimes, we were both dating other people. You know that.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, guess what? He’s single now.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Honey, we live in a small town. Gossip travels fast in Majestic Cove.”

  “Of course, it does. How about when it comes to this case? Have you heard any useful gossip that might be able to solve this murder?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Naturally, the rumor mill can’t provide any useful information. It’s only good for idle gossip.”

  “Melody, stop trying to change the subject. You and Scott are meant to be together. I know it.”

  “Mom, haven’t you been listening to me? This is terrible timing for this conversation. There’s a murder investigation going on.”

  “Yes, and it will end at some point. When it does, you and Scott should go out on a date.”

  “Mom, I have to go. I have some things to take care of,” I said.

  Chapter Five

  I didn’t actually have work to do. I just wanted the conversation to be over. My mother meant well and I loved her dearly, but she didn’t always listen to me. The last thing I was prepared for right then was to have children. Frankly, finding Mr. Right had been giving me enough trouble. Don’t tell my mother that. She was convinced that Scott and I were destined to become a couple. Then again, she’d always felt that way.

  Was she correct? Don’t ask me. Like I said, I wasn’t exactly in the right mind frame for that topic. Honestly, I didn’t even know the full reason that Scott was back in town. It was important to take things one step at a time.

  I knew Scott would agree with me about that. Besides, he currently had his hands full. It was his job to find Connor’s killer. That was a heavy burden to carry on his shoulders. I didn’t envy him. After all, what if he wasn’t able to find the murderer? What if this case went cold? That would be awful.

  While Scott was keeping busy, the opposite was true for me. I didn’t have anything on my plate. Not only was I between cases, but I didn’t even have any paperwork to do. What a rarity. Even though I was glad that I wasn’t busy to the point where I was tearing my hair out, I didn’t make any money when I didn’t have any clients. Days like this weren’t carefree or relaxing. Instead, I found myself wondering where my next paycheck would come from.

  Unlike with other lines of work, where there were various ways of drumming up business, as an investigator, I had to let clients come to me. Sure, I could buy advertising to put my name out there, but it turned out that ads weren’t cheap. There was also no guarantee that it would bring me any new clients.

  In an ideal world, there would never be a need for a private investigator. My job would be obsolete. Clearly, we were not living in a perfect world.

  At this point, you might be asking yourself, what exactly did I do with all of my idle time?

  As much as I hated to admit it, I spent a large amount of time thinking about Connor’s death.

  ***

  A lot could happen in forty-eight hours. For example, Scott could have solved the case. He could have put the killer behind bars. Then everyone in town could breathe easily.

  Unfortunately, none of that happened. Instead, two days went by and the killer was still at-large. That was the worst-case scenario. By that point, Scott must have been incredibly frustrated.

  He also must have done a lot of running around, because I didn’t end up crossing paths with him at all. Not even at the bakery. According to Kristina, he had not stopped into her business once. It didn’t make sense to me. How had he managed to avoid stress eating?

  Much to my surprise, no new clients came my way either. Rather than spending all of my time fretting about business, I decided to take a stroll through downtown Majestic Cove. Business would pick up again soon. I knew it. I just needed to be patient.

  As I meandered from boutique to boutique, my head began to drift into the clouds. At least, initially. About halfway down the street, I spotted a familiar face. It was Amy Dearborn. She was just coming out of a store.

  Amy was my last client. According to Scott, she was also a suspect in the murder investigation. Even though it had only been a few days since the last time I saw her, she looked radically different. It was amazing how ragged she was. The woman was an absolute wreck. I didn’t know if she had gotten any sleep recently.

  “Amy, are you all right?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Not at all. These last few days have been insane.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I can’t believe this.”

  “You mean, that Connor was murdered?”

  “Well, there’s that. But also, the police think I did this.”

  “Did they tell you that?”

  “A detective came and questioned me at my work. He pulled me aside in front of my manager. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was?”

  “Thankfully, that’s never happened to me.”

  “You have no idea how lucky you are. It was so traumatic. I don’t know why the detective couldn’t have talked to me at home.”

  “I don’t have any answers for you.”

  “Ever since that happened, everyone at work has looked at me differently. They have all been silently judging me. It’s not fair. And it’s not right.”

  “I know you’re upset about your work situation, but let’s get back to my question for a minute. When the detective spoke to you, did he tell you that he thought you were guilty?”

  “Not in those words, but he sure acted like I was a killer. He asked me tons of questions. And he made a whole bunch of accusations.”

  “Like what?”

  “He told me that things didn’t look good for me. Especially since I don’t have a verifiable alibi for the time of the murder.”

  “You don’t?”

  “I told him that I was at home, but he didn’t believe me. He said that since I was alone, there’s no way of corroborating my story. I don’t know why he didn’t believe me.”

  “I’m sure he had a reason.”

  “Are you taking his side?”

  “No. I’m not taking a side.”

  “Because I’m not a murderer. I don’t care what anyone says.”

  “Amy, calm down. I didn’t accuse you of being a killer.”

  She stared into my eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. I’m just so on edge.”

  “I understand.”

  “This is just such an awful situation. Even though I didn’t do anything, I couldn’t convince the detective of that. Do you know how terrifying it is to have a detective suspect you of murder?”

  “I have never been in that position.”

  “You should count your lucky stars. It is the most horrifying experience of my life. I keep thinking, what if I get arrested?”

  “I don’t understand. If you’re innocent then why would you be arrested?”

  “Come on, Melody. You know that sometimes the police make mistakes. I’m sure you’ve heard stories about innocent people going to jail. I certainly have.”

  “Yes, it does happen. Sometimes. But it’s usually pretty rare.”

  “You can’t say that it never happens, though, can you?”

  “No.”

  “That’s exactly the problem.”

  “Amy, Detective Webster is a good man. He’s also a fair man. I can’t see him arresting the wrong person.”

  “Wait a minute. You know the detective?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you talk some sense into him?” Amy asked.

  Before I had a chance to answer, she kept talking.

  “Tell him I’m not a killer. Please,” Amy said.

  “I can talk to him, but he was just doing his job. And being thorough. The fact is, someone did kill Connor. And they are still roaming the streets.”

  “Like I said before, it wasn’t me.”

  “I heard you. I just can’t help but wonder who it was.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe the woman Connor was cheating on me with. Or his friend, Nancy. Or someone from work. There’s all sorts of possibilities.”

  “Did you mention those people to the detective?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “He said he’d look into it.”

  “Maybe that’s what he’s doing now.”

  “I sure hope so. Anyway, I need to get home.”

  “Big plans today?”

  “No. I just need a drink,” Amy said.

  Chapter Six

  The next day

  Sometimes, it felt like all roads led to Majestic Cove Bakery. Don’t tell my diet that. It would give me a stern talking to. But what a diet failed to realize was that there was only so much will power to go around. Even if I was really good for a stretch of time, I would eventually find my way over to the bakery. Not just because the pastries were amazing. Although, they were. In fact, they were the best pastries that I’ve ever tasted. That was saying a lot. I’ve done a fair share of indulging over the years.

  The other reason that a trip to the bakery was almost a guaranteed was because my best friend happened to run the place. As I made my way into the bakery that particular morning, I thought that Kristina would greet me with a smile.

  As I swung the door to the bakery open, however, Kristina had her hands full behind the counter. The bakery was packed. She was really working hard to earn her paycheck. It was rare to see the bakery that busy when it wasn’t peak tourist season. During the offseason, there would be brief rushes. As a local, I thought I had them all timed out. That way, I could avoid them.

  Not this time. What a strange rush of customers. Had dozens of residents all gotten the urge to torpedo their diets all at once? It was more likely that this homicide case was the real culprit. Stress was an absolute beast. It made people turn to comfort food. And what was more stressful than knowing a murderer was on the loose?

  I wasn’t a big fan of waiting in line…even for pastries. Also, it was pretty clear that Kristina wouldn’t have time to chat with me that morning. Given all that, I briefly considered turning around and leaving the bakery.

  Then I spotted a familiar face at a nearby table. Scott Webster was sitting by himself, deep in thought as he munched on a donut.

  There had been a lot of jokes made over the years about cops and donuts. In my experience, they were all appropriate. Scott loved chocolate-glazed donuts. They were his favorite.

  At that moment, I could have sent a one-liner his way. After all, we had a playful friendship, filled with frequent jokes and sarcasm. As I approached his table, I decided not to make a crack about donuts.

  I did joke with him, though. “Hey, stranger. What a surprising place to run into you.”

  I expected Scott to reply with a wisecrack. He didn’t.

  Instead, he just nodded at me and said, “Morning, Melody.”

  “I haven’t seen you in a few days. It’s almost like you’ve been busy solving a murder or something.”

  “I’ve been busy, all right…not solving this murder,” he bemoaned.

  His voice was filled with discouragement as he spoke.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Yeah, it has been a pretty rough few days.”

  “Here’s hoping that all of your hard work pays off.”

  “I wouldn’t hold your breath. I’m certainly not.”

  “Do you think you’re close to finding the killer?”

  “It sure doesn’t feel like it.”

  “Wow. You are just in a bleak mood, aren’t you?”

  “Sorry. You probably weren’t prepared for that level of brutal honesty.”

  “I’m all for honesty. I was just hoping that the truth wouldn’t be quite so unpleasant.”

  “You and me both. I hate cases like this. They are so frustrating. By this point in an investigation, you expect to make a lot more progress.”

  I stared deep into his eyes. “I have to say, this conversation has gone much differently than I thought it would.”

  “Sorry. You just caught me at a weird time.”

  “Clearly.”

  “I’m kind of at a weird low point.”

  “In the case?”

  “I mean, in terms of my mood. The sugar from my pastry hasn’t kicked in yet. Once it does, I’m sure my mood will get better.”

  “But for how long? If things are as bad as you say they are, it could be a lousy rest of the week for you.”