“It might be. I’ll just keep at it, though. That’s what this donut is for. To give me some fuel.”

  “I hope it does the trick.”

  “I’m sure, it will. Donuts never let me down. That’s what makes them so incredible.”

  I smiled. “It’s good to know that some things never change. Your love of donuts is timeless, isn’t it?”

  “Hey, we all have a weakness.”

  “I sure do. Multiple weaknesses, actually. When stress gets the best of me, it’s amazing what kinds of treats I get cravings for.”

  “Which makes me wonder, what’s stressing you out right now?” Scott asked.

  “Oh, stress didn’t bring me here this morning,” I said.

  “No?”

  “Nope. My sweet tooth did.”

  “So, you’re not stressed out at all?”

  “Not really.”

  “That must be nice.”

  “Make no mistake. It isn’t really pleasant knowing that a killer is still on the loose. And your update didn’t exactly fill me with confidence.”

  “It’s like I said before—”

  I cut him off. “The sugar hasn’t kicked in.”

  “There’s that. And also, you’re an old friend. I’ve always felt really comfortable sharing things with you, good or bad.”

  “Do you have anything good to share with me?”

  He grimaced. “Not at the moment.”

  “How bad are things exactly? This case isn’t in danger of going cold, is it?”

  “I think it’s too early to be talking that way.”

  “Does that mean you’re leaning toward one suspect over another?”

  “I really shouldn’t discuss details of the case with you.”

  I chuckled. “Scott, I think it’s a little too late for that.”

  “What makes you say that?” he asked.

  “You’ve been doing nothing but talking about the case since the moment I walked in here.”

  “If anything, that means I should stop while I’m behind.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “You just told me that you feel comfortable sharing things with me. It might help you to talk things out.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Seriously. When a case has me stuck, I always find that it’s helpful to discuss things with a friend.”

  “I’m sure you do. But your cases are a little different than mine.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. We have a lot more in common than you think. I’m an investigator, just like you.”

  “I wouldn’t say you’re just like me.”

  I put my hand up. “That’s not all. I also happen to have a familiarity with all of the suspects in this case.”

  “Honestly, there isn’t a whole lot to discuss. None of the suspects have a verifiable alibi.”

  “Really?”

  “I know. Crazy, huh?”

  “So, you haven’t been able to eliminate any of them?”

  He shook his head. “They also all look guilty in their own way.”

  “No wonder you’re stress eating.”

  “It isn’t the best way to start off a case.”

  “Way to understate things.”

  “Honestly, it’s impossible to overstate what a pain cases like this are. Especially since the investigation seems to have hit a standstill.”

  “You’re really not making any progress?”

  “I’m waiting for a new piece of evidence to emerge. Or a lead to materialize. Or for one of the suspects to do something out of the ordinary.”

  “And what if none of those things happens?”

  “It will.”

  “You seem pretty confident about that.”

  “It always does…eventually.”

  “Yeah. But when is eventually?”

  “I don’t know. I just need to be patient. Sometimes, with the passage of time, the killer starts to feel like they are in the clear and they let their guard down. That’s when they slip up,” he said. “Other times, they just get sloppy. Or I end up stumbling upon a nice lead. You’d be surprised how often something useful comes from the tip line.”

  “I hope that happens soon.”

  “Like I said, I just need to hang in there. I feel like I’m one piece away from breaking this case wide open.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” I replied.

  Chapter Seven

  My conversation with Scott didn’t give me a whole lot of confidence about this case. I knew he would continue to try his best, but things didn’t sound promising. I realized that these things took time. That he couldn’t force things. The problem was that every second was precious. The more time that went by, the greater the chance was that the killer would get away.

  When a case went cold, it rarely ever heated up again. As I left the bakery, the future felt shakier than ever. Scott could put on a good face, but I knew he was in trouble. Whether he was willing to admit it or not, he needed help.

  I couldn’t just remain idle any longer. My lack of patience really became apparent. I decided to take action. I wasn’t going to do anything extreme, but I would poke my head around a little. Who knows? Maybe I would get lucky. Even if I didn’t, it wouldn’t hurt anyone.

  Besides, this whole experience might be good for me. It would help to keep my investigative skills sharp. After all, it had been a slow couple of days for me. Since I still didn’t have any clients currently, it left me with a bunch of time on my hands.

  As it happened, Connor’s house also happened to be on the way back to my office. That seemed like a logical place to start. A few minutes later, I pulled onto his street and drove up in front of his mid-century modern home.

  It was a quiet day in his neighborhood. There didn’t seem to be anyone around. It was pretty crazy to think that a murder took place here just a few days ago. It just looked like a normal day on an ordinary street.

  Of course, by that point, the yellow police tape was gone. Forensics had done a thorough sweep of the area. Theoretically, they had gathered all of the useful information that was available. There was no reason to keep up a police presence.

  I was happy that no one was around. I wouldn’t feel comfortable going up to Connor’s place if I thought I was being watched. Honestly, I was so used to working under the cover of darkness that it felt strange to be doing an investigative activity like this in broad daylight.

  I didn’t have a whole lot of choice. What good would it do me to wander around looking for clues in the dark? The odds were already stacked against me as it was.

  I walked up Connor’s driveway, completely aware that this could easily amount to nothing. But really all it cost me was a little bit of time and energy.

  I started to do a visual scan of the area. I was looking for anything that happened to stand out. Perhaps I would get lucky and spot something in the grass. Or on the driveway. There was also a small chance that his walkway would have some sort of surprise in store for me.

  Ultimately, none of that proved to be true. It appeared that the forensics team had done a good job of going over things. On one hand, that was really refreshing. It was nice to know that they had been thorough. On the other hand, if the team had gathered everything they could from this site, it meant that my actions here would most likely be fruitless.

  Before I left, there were two more places left to check. The first was Connor’s trash can. I lifted up the lid and began to rummage around.

  My dirty work did not pay off. I didn’t find anything useful. I put the lid back on the can and also picked up the can. What if something had fallen and had lodged beneath the can?

  It was a decent theory, but it didn’t end up holding any water. I didn’t find anything.

  I then moved over to Connor’s car. If I was going to catch a break at the crime scene, this would probably be my last chance of doing it.

  As uncomfortable as this would be, I got down on my stomach and looked under the car. While I was on the ground, I could only imagine how weird my activities would look if someone happened to drive by. Rather than worrying about that, I concentrated on what was in front of me.

  Much to my surprise, my efforts paid off. Behind the front driver’s-side wheel of Connor’s sedan, I spotted something very interesting. It was shiny and had a gold tint. As I looked closer, I realized that it was an earring. I immediately reached into my purse and grabbed a tissue. I then picked up the earring with the tissue and stared at it.

  A number of questions popped into my head right then. Whose earring was this? How long had it been there? Did this earring have ties to the murder? Did it belong to the killer? Had it come off as they fled the scene? Or was finding this earring unrelated to the crime?

  At the moment, I didn’t have any answers. I knew what my next step was, though.

  I had an important phone call to make. I grabbed my phone from my purse and dialed Scott’s number.

  When I told him where I was, he had a surprising reaction.

  “What are you doing at the scene of the crime?” Scott asked.

  “That part isn’t important—” I said.

  “It is to me.”

  “Scott, I found something. You need to check this out.”

  “What is it?”

  “An earring. I found it behind a tire. Bring the forensics team with you.”

  “We’ll be right there.”

  “Good.”

  “Don’t think you’re going to avoid my question, though. I still want to know what you were doing at the scene of the crime.”

  “We can talk about that when you get here.”

  ***

  It took Scott about ten minutes to arrive at Connor’s house. The forensics team was right behind him. I handed over the earring and the tissue to the head of the forensics team. They bagged up the items and brought them over to their van.

  Scott then spoke with me in private.

  “You decided to conduct your own investigation, didn’t you?” Scott asked.

  “Aren’t you going to say thank you?” I replied.

  “This case is an official police matter.”

  “Which, by your own admission, you weren’t making very much progress with.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can just poke your head around.”

  “I still haven’t heard a thank you, which is strange, considering how I just found something that might be crucial in solving this case.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’m very appreciative of what you found. And I hope that it leads to identifying the killer. That is a separate issue from what I’m talking about.”

  “What can I say? I’m an investigator. Does it really surprise you that curiosity got the best of me after a while?”

  “Knowing your personality, it doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

  “Hey, our personalities aren’t all that different.”

  “I guess not. One thing that is different is the fact that I’m a police detective and you’re not.”

  “In my defense, I didn’t intend on investigating. It’s just that after talking to you, I felt like you could use some help.”

  “You’re a unique woman, you know that?”

  “Why do I get the feeling that you didn’t mean that as a compliment?”

  “Because I didn’t.”

  “In that case, why don’t we talk about the earring some more?”

  “There isn’t really much more to say. At least, not at the moment. The forensics lab will analyze it. Hopefully, they’ll find a fingerprint on it. If so, we’ll be in business.”

  “All right. Well, keep me updated.”

  “Melody, this isn’t your case.”

  “I realize that. Would it kill you to update me, though?”

  “I need to get back to the station,” Scott said. “Take care of yourself, all right?”

  Chapter Eight

  The rest of my day ended up being pretty boring. Of course, it would be hard to top the excitement of finding a clue at the crime scene. After leaving Connor’s house, I headed over to my office. Much to my delight, I ended up getting a new client that afternoon. My business drought was mercifully over. It was about time. Things were suddenly looking up for me.

  As for the case, I didn’t receive an update until the following morning. The update didn’t come in the form of a phone call from Scott either. Instead, when I arrived at my office, I happened to see Lisa staring at a TV. When I asked her what she was watching, she pointed out that there was a breaking news story unfolding.

  As I looked at the television, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The police were dragging Amy Dearborn away in handcuffs. My jaw dropped.

  They were arresting Amy? Was this related to the earring I found? Had that jewelry belonged to Amy? Did Scott believe that she was the killer?

  I couldn’t sit back and wait for him to call me. I pulled out my phone and called him.

  ***

  Scott didn’t answer his phone. At least, not the first time that I called. Rather than leaving a voice mail, I hung up my phone and dialed his number again. This time, he answered.

  “I can’t really talk right now,” Scott said.

  “You arrested Amy?” I replied.

  “Melody, I have my hands full right now. I’ll call you later.”

  Scott then got off the phone.

  I could have left things at that, but I needed more answers. And I knew just where to get them.

  I hopped in my car and drove over to the police station. I knew that Scott wouldn’t be able to meet with me right away, but once he got a free moment, I wanted to talk to him.

  I ended up sitting in the lobby for a couple of hours.

  Scott then came out to see me.

  “What are you doing here?” Scott said.

  “Do you really need to ask that?” I replied. “I can’t believe you arrested her.”

  “I told you I would call you later.”

  “What can I say? I’m impatient.”

  Scott laughed. “There’s an understatement for you.”

  “Now, will you please answer my question? Why did you arrest her?”

  “Because I believe she’s guilty.”

  “What makes you say that?” I replied. “The earring that I found at the scene. Did it belong to Amy?”

  Scott nodded. “It sure did.”

  “Wow. I did not expect that.”

  “Or maybe it’s just not what you wanted to be true.”

  “It’s a little bit of both.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s a shame, but that’s just how things go sometimes.”

  “Is the earring the only piece of evidence that you have tying her to the murder?”

  Scott shook his head. “No.”

  My eyes widened. “Really?”

  “There’s more. We also got a call on our tip line this morning. The caller said they spotted someone matching Amy’s description leaving the scene right around the time of the murder.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Wait a minute. Where was this call a few days ago? Why did it take this person four full days to call your tip line?”

  “I don’t know. Sometimes people don’t want to get involved. Other times, they are afraid of coming forward. Maybe the tipster thought that we’d be able to solve this case without their help. Honestly, there’s all sorts of reasons why this person might have waited to come forward.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “In the end, what matters is that I have enough to arrest Amy. So, I did.”

  “Did you question her?”

  He nodded.

  “Did she give you a confession?”

  He shook his head. “No. She was defiant. Amy insists that she’s innocent.”

  “You don’t believe her, though?”

  “Would it be nice to get a confession? Of course. Will the district attorney need one to get a conviction? No. As it is, there’s a strong case against Amy.”

  “That isn’t what I asked you. Do you personally believe that she is guilty?”

  “Yes.”

  I took a deep breath.

  “I take it that you don’t agree with me,” he said.

  “She’s just the last person I would have expected to commit murder.”

  “That happens sometimes. Actually, you’d be amazed about how often the killer ends up being someone you don’t expect.”

  “Is that so?”

  He nodded. “Absolutely.”

  I grimaced. “Something about this case still doesn’t sit right with me.”

  “A man was murdered. Of course, this case doesn’t sit right with you. This entire situation is incredibly disturbing.”

  “That isn’t what I was talking about. I thought I was good at reading people. For Amy to be a killer, it really calls my belief into question. It makes me think that you never really know someone.”

  “I wouldn’t say that. You know me. You know your mother. You know your friends. Murder suspects are different. They are a tricky breed. They are good at fooling people.

  I stared off into the distance and didn’t say a word.

  Scott waited a few seconds for me to speak up. When I didn’t, he broke the silence between us.

  “Melody.”

  I pulled my head out of the clouds. “Sorry. I was just thinking about how crazy the last few days have been.”

  “Yeah. But at least it’s over now.”

  “I guess.”

  “Keep your chin up. Things will go back to normal soon.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “In the meantime, I want to say thank you,” he replied. “You did a great job. I owe you one for finding that earring. I don’t know how the forensics team missed that.”

  “Neither do I,” I said. “I’m also not sure how things are going to go back to normal. At least, not right away. It’s a sad time.”

  “It is. But I know a way to cheer you up.”

  “How?”

  “Let me finish up my paperwork. Then I’ll take you out to get a treat.”

  “What kind of a treat?”

  “It’s your choice. I’ll get you anything you want. Ice cream, cake, pie, cookies.”

  I chuckled. “One of each would be good.”

  “I think that might be a bit of sugar overload, but if it’s what you really want, I’m game.”