As I approached Donut Hearts, I realized that it might be easier said than done.
Chief Martin was waiting for me, leaning against his squad car with a dark expression on his face.
It appeared that my day wasn’t going to be quite so normal after all.
Chapter 6
“Why do I have the feeling that you’re not here for a cup of coffee?” I asked the chief after I’d parked and gotten out of my Jeep.
“I could use some of that, too,” he said, “but you’re right. That’s not the real reason that I’m here.”
“What happened?” A sudden thought occurred to me, and I felt my blood go cold. “Did something happen to Jake?” If he’d been hurt after the last conversation that we’d had, I’d never find a way to get over it.
The police chief looked surprised by my question. “What? No, as far as I know, Jake’s fine. Why, what’s he been up to lately?”
“Investigating crime, just like you,” I said as I unlocked the door. “Come on in. I’ll get the coffee started while you bring me up to speed on what’s happening.”
“That sounds fine with me. I never got a chance to get to sleep last night. After I dropped your mother off at the cottage, I got the call, and I’ve been working on the case all night.”
“What happened?” I asked as I flipped one of the coffee pots on. It was our standard blend, not one of Emma’s exotics. I had two very different clienteles for the coffee we served; one liked their coffee strong and plain, while the other appreciated the finer nuances of Emma’s blends. The chief was definitely a strong and plain coffee kind of guy.
“There was a murder in town last night,” he said solemnly.
I hated the thought of it, but I knew that it was as much a part of life in a small town as it was in any big city. “Who was killed?”
“I don’t know if you know the man,” the chief said. “He was in town for a visit, as a matter of fact.”
“Peter Hickman is dead, isn’t he?” I asked, remembering Emily telling me about him getting into a fight the day before.
“No, it was Gabby Williams’s nephew, Jude.”
“That’s even worse,” I said.
“What makes you say that?” he asked me.
As I poured him a cup of coffee in a paper cup, I said, “I had a feeling that he was going to crash the wedding. Jude and Emily dated not that long ago, and from what I heard, he had a hard time believing that Max had replaced him in Emily’s heart. I don’t have to tell you that Max has a temper, so yeah, I’m a little worried about that. Then there’s Peter Hickman. He got in a fight yesterday, and I have to wonder if that had anything to do with what happened to Jude.”
The chief nodded. “That’s some good information you’ve got there,” he said. “I’ve been able to dig up a little more myself. Would you like to hear it?”
“You’re actually going to share with me?” I asked him with a smile.
“I’d be an idiot not to admit that you’ve helped me out in the past, all unofficially, of course. I’m beginning to respect your judgment, Suzanne. Plus, I heard that you were going to be Emily’s maid of honor, so is there any way in the world that you and Grace aren’t going to be digging into this?”
“I’d be lying if I denied it,” I said.
“Then let’s see what we can do about cooperating.”
I was glad that the police chief was seeing me in a different light, but then again, I had been able to solve a few murders with the help of my friends over the years. It would be nice working together instead of fighting all of the time. How much of that was because of his relationship with my mother I didn’t know, nor was I all that sure that I cared. “That sounds great to me.”
The chief took a long sip of coffee, and then he said, “Gabby had a public fight with Jude two hours before his body was discovered by the railroad tracks. Someone hit him in the back of the head with an iron bar, by the way. From what we’ve been able to determine so far, it was most likely between eight PM and midnight, but don’t quote me on that.”
“Gabby took Jude in when no one else would. I can’t believe that she would ever kill him,” I said.
“Hang on. I’m not jumping to any conclusions right now; I’m just gathering facts.”
“What else have you got?” I asked him as I topped off his coffee.
“Well, it turns out that Jude had his share of enemies around town. You know about Reggie Nance, don’t you?”
“Debbie’s dad? What’s he got to do with all of this? He comes in and orders a dozen donuts for his office every week. He’s a great guy.”