STARCH ENEMY

RAISED AND GLAZED COZY MYSTERIES, BOOK 21

EMMA AINSLEY

SUMMER PRESCOTT BOOKS PUBLISHING

Copyright 2022 Summer Prescott Books

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying, or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

**This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Also by Emma Ainsley

Author’s Note

Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

CHAPTER ONE

“Did you ever think that we would expand?” Ruby Cobb asked Maggie Sharpe, her best friend and business partner. She leaned against the cooler door in the kitchen of Dogwood Donuts. “I remember when your late Aunt Marjorie first mentioned that she was planning on leaving the business to you.”

“You remember that?” Maggie asked her. She stood in front of the large sink and dunked another donut tray deep into the hot, soapy water. She’d learned over time that hot water was the best way to handle the stuck-on frosting and sugary glaze. Many of the smaller dishes were cleaned in her commercial grade dishwasher, but the trays were a bit too large to fit.

“I do remember,” Ruby said gently. “I think she made it a point to tell me in case there was any question after she was gone.”

“Is that why you decided to come back around and help me out, despite your glamorous career as a cookbook author?” Maggie teased.

Ruby nodded her head and smiled. “Pretty much,” she said. “I wanted to help you get the hang of things. I had no idea we would become close friends, or that we’d train your son to open our second location, but I truly believe your aunt would be happy to see that you not only opened a new donut shop, but that your own child was at the helm of it.”

“I wish I had spent more time here with Bradley when he was a little boy,” Maggie said. “His dad made that a little difficult, but I could have tried harder.”

Ruby pushed herself off the cooler door and headed around the other side of Maggie to pick up a towel. She dried off the trays after Maggie washed them and then carried the stack into the storeroom.

Maggie let out the water in the sink and began to disinfect it and the other three sinks before she turned her attention to the prep table. She could hear Ruby moving the dishes around on the wire shelves in the storeroom. One perk to having a former chef on her team was the level of efficiency in the entire kitchen. She never had to guess where things belonged. The organization in the cooler alone made it worth the effort to keep things running her way. Even the food truck was organized to the hilt.

On his last visit to the Dogwood Mountain store, her own son Bradley had commented on how well the kitchen ran. He even requested an after-hours visit from both his mother and Ruby to help him get things squared away in his own kitchen. The Hunter Springs store had opened up in a hurry but was doing well overall. Bradley took Jake Jenkins, Maggie’s young employee, with him when he opened. Since then, he had interviewed, hired, and fired half a dozen people.

“I want to run home and take a fast shower before I drive to Hunter Springs,” Ruby announced when she emerged from the storeroom. “Naomi said she will close for us.”

“I’m going to do the same thing,” Maggie said. “In fact, Brett is going to meet me out there when he gets done at work.”

“That sounds like fun,” Ruby said. Maggie ignored the smirk on her face when she said it. It was a well-known fact that she and the county sheriff Brett Mission were dating, but it was also a common joke that they had taken their sweet time getting there.

“I guess I might as well head out, too,” Maggie said.

“Why don’t you let me pick you up, if you think Brett will drive you home?” Ruby suggested. “Then you don’t have to deal with getting your car home. And I can leave before dark and get to my animals before they decide to stage a mutiny.” Ruby’s home was a small farm spread that was also home to a few animals.

“Yeah, that actually makes more sense,” Maggie said. “Let me call Brett and let him know. I think he has something special planned, but he hasn’t told me what yet.”

“Sounds even more like fun,” Ruby teased.

“Please stop,” Maggie said. Her face burned from embarrassment.

“I will,” Ruby said with a laugh. “You know, you turn red a lot easier these days.”

“Of course, she does,” Orson Hawley said as he entered the kitchen through the swinging door from the dining room area. “She’s like a teenage girl whenever a certain man in uniform is around.”

“Not you, too, Orson,” Maggie said. She loved the cantankerous old man with all her heart, but his bluntness had a way of getting under her skin.

“Why not me? I seem to remember being the one who called it from the start,” Orson said. He pulled a stool out from under the baker’s table and took a seat.

“What are you talking about?” Maggie asked him.

Orson folded his arms across his chest and sighed. “I told anyone who would listen the minute that cop showed up here right after you opened this donut shop that the two of you would end up together,” he said. “And here you are, about to ride off into the sunset together.”

“No one is riding off into the sunset, Orson,” Maggie said.

“You know what I mean,” he grumbled. “He’s moved up the career ladder from police chief to county sheriff. A man makes that kind of move when there is a woman he wants to impress.”

“You know how and why that all happened,” Maggie argued. “He didn't do any of it to impress me.”

“Says you,” Orson said.

“Okay, I’m headed out,” Maggie said in exasperation. “Naomi is closing up for us. We’ll be in Hunter Springs with Bradley for a little while later this afternoon.”

“Be sure to tell the sheriff I said hello.” Orson smiled and headed back to the front.

“I don’t know what to do with that old man sometimes,” Maggie said.

“Same thing we all do.” Ruby chuckled. “You listen to what he has to say, ignore half of it, and then go on loving him for the great big old grump that he is.”

CHAPTER TWO

Ruby pulled into the driveway behind Maggie’s house around four-thirty. Maggie grabbed her bag and headed out to the truck. She had an extra outfit to change into before Brett arrived to take her out. She had no idea where he intended to take her, but she wasn’t excited at the thought of smelling like a donut shop, wherever they went.

“I wonder if Bradley is going to find decent help any time soon?” Ruby asked as they headed onto the highway. “I think we got lucky with our staff. Don’t you think so?”

“Many times over,” Maggie agreed. “Starting with Orson and Myra and continuing with Naomi. Josie is great, too, but Naomi and Myra are sent from heaven above.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right about that,” Ruby said. “And despite what you think about him after his Brett jokes earlier, we both know we couldn’t live without Orson.”

“I agree with that,” Maggie said. “And one day he might not be working with us anymore, at least not nearly as much.”

“I think he will enjoy his days as a retired grandpa even more,” Ruby said.

In the months since Myra had given birth to her daughter, Lexi, Orson had taken on an active role in her life. He lived in the same house as them and spent time with Lexi before the nanny arrived to take care of her during the day.

The clock on Ruby’s pickup read five o’clock exactly when they pulled into the parking lot of the old filling station that had been most recently remodeled as the Hunter Springs Donut Shop. As far as Maggie knew, the building had also been an antiques store, and at some point, a full service gas station.

“I still can’t get over how good this place looks,” Ruby said when she stepped out of the truck. Maggie stood still for a moment, just to take the place in. As proud as she was of the original location and the food truck, something about the new place left her feeling as if she had really made a success of the donut shop business that was left to her.

Much of the credit belonged to her son, of course. For a man in his twenties, he had come into the business like a seasoned pro, just like he had done in his role as a single father. Little Wyatt was a happy and healthy toddler. Bradley ran the new location well enough so far that they had exceeded the expected profits by both Ruby and Myra’s predictions.

“Are you coming in here or not?” Bradley called to her from the front door. Maggie shook her head and laughed.

“I was just taking it all in, Son,” she said and hugged him as she passed.

“Hello, Aunt Ruby,” Bradley said.

“Hey, kid,” Ruby said. “How are things going?”

“Actually, a little better than this time yesterday.” Bradley beamed. “There is someone here I would like the two of you to meet.” He led them through the large dining space and into the kitchen in the back.

When they stepped into the large kitchen, Bradley moved aside and smiled. Maggie first noticed Jake washing dishes on the other side of the room. Her eyes then went to a stranger who stood between Bradley and the automatic donut machine.

“Hello,” Ruby managed to say while Maggie just stood there and stared at the man.

“Mom, Ruby, this is Zeke Soren,” Bradley said proudly. “Zeke, my mother, Maggie, and Ruby Cobb, her business partner.”

“Nice to meet the both of you,” Zeke said. His voice was low and gravelly.

“Mr. Soren, it’s nice to meet you,” Ruby said.

“Yes, it is nice to meet you,” Maggie finally said. She looked the man over. Between his motorcycle boots and his wool peacoat, he looked like he had just come in off of a ghost ship in the Atlantic. His head was even covered with a navy blue beanie and his weathered face was in need of a good shave.

“I met Zeke when I was in the Navy,” Bradley said. “He was the watch captain in the galley on the last ship I sailed on.”

“You should probably explain what that means, Sharpe,” Zeke said. “Your mom looks about as lost as I was when you reached out to me.”

Bradley moved around to the other side of the large room and pulled a clipboard off of a nail on the wall. “The watch captain runs the galley, and this one ran a tight ship,” Bradley said.

“No pun intended.” Zeke smirked.

“Anyway, I had heard from another buddy that he had separated from the Navy, and I thought he might be looking for a place to land now that he’s out,” Bradley said. “And we all know how much help this place needs.”

“Did you go to school before the Navy?” Ruby asked.

Zeke shook his head slowly. “No, ma’am,” he said. “The Navy got its hooks into me right out of high school and sent me out to Fort Lee right after basic.”

“What’s Fort Lee?” Maggie asked. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the man. He seemed more of an enigma than a real human being.

“The Navy’s version of culinary school is there,” Bradley answered. “Anyway, Zeke here is our new baker. Isn’t that awesome?”

“That sounds like a great thing for both of you,” Ruby said. She turned to Bradley. “Do you still want me to organize the storeroom?”

“I already talked to Zeke here about it,” Bradley said. “He’s good with it.”

“I learned a long time ago that following the lead of the man in charge is easier than trying to put my own spin on things,” Zeke said. To Maggie, his face appeared incapable of cracking a smile. He glanced up at Ruby and then looked away quickly. “My apologies, ma’am. Any woman in charge, either.”

“Ruby here is a trained chef,” Bradley continued. “She used to have her own restaurant and everything.”

“I am a former executive chef, and I learned a long time ago how to run an efficient kitchen,” Ruby said carefully. “But it sounds like you know what you are doing yourself, Zeke. Would you prefer to organize things your own way?”

“I would prefer to have things set up the way you all want them, and then I can run them smoothly from there,” Zeke said. His words sounded rather final on the matter. Maggie looked him over once more. She decided that in addition to looking like a North Atlantic fisherman, he could have also passed for an outlaw biker. Something about him didn’t seem to fit the description of “donut shop baker.”

“Okay, then,” Maggie said after another minute. “Let’s get busy and get things started.”

“Right. We should get started soon,” Bradley said, grinning at his mom. “The sheriff will be here before we know it.”

Zeke froze in place. He turned sharply to Bradley. “What do you mean the sheriff is supposed to be here? Why is the sheriff coming here?” he asked.

“Oh, because my mom dates the sheriff,” Bradley said. He sounded almost like an embarrassed teenager when he said it, Maggie thought. “Brett is a great man. He went to high school with my mom, and they started seeing each other when she moved back here to take over the donut shop.”

“Oh,” Zeke said. His face relaxed fractionally before he followed Ruby into the storeroom.

After they left the room, Maggie grabbed her son by the arm. “Are you sure this guy is going to work out?” she asked him. “He seems pretty gruff, Bradley. And I don’t like the way he reacted to the news of Brett stopping by.”

“Give him a chance, Mom,” Bradley said. “I know he has a rough exterior, but he’s a very good man. He might be a lot older than I am, but he treated me right when I was at sea. He was fair and definitely one of the good guys. Sometimes things can go a little rough for the younger guys, especially blond dudes from the Midwest like me. Zeke saved my butt a couple of times, and he helped me to wise up and act tougher than I was.”

Maggie couldn’t help herself. She adored hearing her son speak about his days in the military. When he was serving their relationship had been quite distant. Now, they were closer than ever. Learning about his thoughts and experiences made her feel good.

“Alright,” Maggie said. “It certainly sounds like he deserves a chance. I will withhold my judgment and give it to him.”

“I knew you would,” Bradley said. “Where do you think I learned how to never judge a book by its cover?”

Maggie smiled and walked with her son into the storeroom. Ruby had already taken over Zeke’s attention. The four of them worked for nearly two hours. They pulled everything off of the wire shelving and stacked it on the table in the middle of the room. One shelf at a time, Ruby instructed them where to store everything, down to the smallest spatula. Zeke caught on so quickly to her methods that he began placing the items on the shelf as she was speaking.

They started on the cooler next. Maggie stepped out when her phone chimed with a text message from Brett. “He’s on his way,” she said quickly. “I have to change.” She ran to the employee restroom and freshened up before he arrived.

When she returned to the kitchen, Brett was already there, dressed in boots and dark blue jeans and a nice western-style shirt. Ruby and Bradley stood around joking with him while Zeke remained off by himself.

“Are you ready?” Brett asked her when she approached his side.

“Ready as I'll ever be,” she said.

“I’m parked out back,” Brett said and started for the back door.

“You kids have fun,” Bradley said, mimicking an old man’s voice. “But don’t be out past midnight!”

“Yes, Dad,” Maggie said and rolled her eyes. “Actually, you sound like Orson.”

“Close enough,” Brett said. He opened the door and stopped where he stood. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Maggie moved closer to see who he was speaking to. Over his shoulder she could see four men gathered around the trash bins behind the donut shop. For a moment, she expected to see the faces of four young troublemakers, but each of the men had at least fifteen years on her son, possibly more.

“We ain’t hurting nothing,” the first one sneered. “Just go on about your business.” His clothes were tattered and filthy. He wore a dirty ball cap pulled down over his eyes.

“You are on private property here, buddy,” Brett said. “And I am giving you one chance to leave before you wind up in the county jail tonight.”

“For one thing, we happen to know the owner and he’s cool with us hanging out here from time to time,” the dirty hat guy said. “And for another, you better watch yourself throwing around threats like that.”

“It isn’t a threat,” Brett said firmly. He pulled his badge from the back pocket of his jeans and held it in front of him. “I am the county sheriff, and the actual owner of this place is standing behind me.”

All four men gathered around the badge and looked hard at it. “So what if you are the sheriff? You can’t do nothing when we got the owner’s permission.”

“You don’t have the owner’s permission,” Maggie said. She stood next to Brett and folded her arms. “I am the owner, and you have no business here.”

“We do if we want some donuts,” another one of the men said. His comment brought a round of laughter from his friends. “You don’t look like the owner of anything, lady. Why don't you get back in there in that kitchen and whip us up some food?”

“Okay,” Brett warned and turned around. “That’s enough.” He picked up his cell phone and dialed quickly. Maggie turned to look outside, fully expecting all four men to make a quick and hasty exit.

Instead, she watched in horror as the first man took off in a quick run toward the door. She observed helplessly as one hand flew up and connected with the back of Brett’s head. He lurched forward and his phone sailed out of his hand across the kitchen. Maggie heard a loud yell and felt someone tugging her out of the way.

When she looked up, Brett had turned completely around. One of the men threw a punch in his direction. Brett grabbed his fist before it could connect with his face. He forced the man to his knees. Ruby stood watching over her shoulder after having pulled her quickly out of the way. Bradley was on the ground with a fat, bloody lip.

Before she could reach out to help her son, she was blocked by a blur that moved so fast she forgot who had been standing in the kitchen watching the entire scene. All four troublemakers were back outside of the door and on the ground groaning in pain faster than it could register that Zeke had moved outside and laid them out. He stood guard between the men and the doorway. Ruby reached for Bradley’s hand and helped him back to his feet while Maggie retrieved Brett’s phone for him and waited while he called for backup from the sheriff’s department.

Over the next ninety seconds, the four men made it to their feet and scrambled off into the darkness. Zeke followed after one for a moment, and then walked back down the alley and returned to the donut shop without a word. He walked past Brett and Bradley and returned to the storeroom without a single word.

CHAPTER THREE

“Are we just going to pretend like the big man in the beanie didn’t just put four separate men on the ground while the two of you were trying to regain your senses?” Jake asked. Maggie had almost forgotten about him being there.

“Well, I was still picking myself up off of the floor,” Bradley said. His face colored a bit.

“Where did he go?” Brett asked.

“Zeke,” Bradley called out.

“Yeah,” Zeke replied.

“Can you come out here, man?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” Zeke asked. He walked to the middle of the kitchen and waited for a response while he wiped the blood from his knuckles off on a towel.

“Maybe you could start by telling us how you just did that,” Bradley said. “I mean, you just put four men on the ground like it was no big deal.”

Zeke shrugged. “I was in the Navy twenty years,” he said. He bared his teeth in an expression Maggie thought was supposed to be a smile. “You tend to get scrappy.”

“I was in the Navy for a few years myself,” Bradley said. “I’m not that scrappy, not even close.”

“You’re still wet behind the ears,” Zeke said and tossed the towel in his direction.

“Aside from all that, thankfully you had cameras installed outside and we can pull the photos of those guys from there. My deputies will be on the search for all of them,” Brett said, not looking very happy at all.

“Are you guys still headed out for dinner?” Ruby asked. “It’s getting late.”

“Yeah, it is.” Brett frowned.

“I can have the photos isolated and emailed to you in five minutes,” Bradley offered. “You and Mom ought to go out and keep the plans you had.”

“Maggie?” Brett looked at her for her opinion.

“How do we know those men won’t be back anytime soon?” she asked.

“We don’t, but the deputies on duty are going to be looking for them,” Brett said. “And they won’t be back here if they are smart. Besides, I’ll also make sure to increase patrols of this block overnight in case they do decide to come back and start trouble.”

“I think I’m going to head home soon anyway,” Bradley said. “How about you guys? Jake? Zeke?”

“Same here,” Zeke said. “Although I think I might wait around and walk this lady to her car.” He nodded in Ruby’s direction.

“I wouldn’t turn that down,” Ruby said.

“I’ll lock up as soon as I get those photos pulled off of the hard drive,” Bradley said. He headed toward the office in the back. Ruby thanked Zeke for seeing her to her truck and pulled out of the parking lot and headed home to the farm.

“That was a little bit of a buzz kill,” Brett said when they were finally in the car. “And not at all how I wanted tonight to begin.”

“I don’t think any of us expected any of that to happen,” Maggie said. “But that doesn’t mean that we have to give up on our plans.”

“I’m glad you feel that way.” Brett grinned. He pushed down on the accelerator and steered his car toward the highway. Maggie had no idea where he was headed, but she was content to ride along and enjoy the ride and the surprise.

They drove south toward the Arkansas line and when they pulled off of the highway, Maggie was pleased to see lights shining off of a large lake. Brett instructed her to remain seated until he made his way around to her door to open it for her.

“Oh, wow,” she said as she stepped out of the car. “This is a restaurant looking over a lake, right?”

Brett grinned and took her by the hand. “It is exactly that,” he said. “And it is absolutely beautiful in the moonlight over the water.”

“Oh, Brett.” Maggie suddenly stopped. “Am I underdressed? This looks like a very classy place.”

Brett squeezed her hand and led her across the parking lot. “This is a very relaxed place,” he said.

“Besides, you look absolutely beautiful to me.” He leaned in and stopped her long enough for a long kiss, the longest they had ever had.

It was after midnight when Brett dropped her off back at home. He walked her to her door and left her with the second longest kiss he had ever given her, and then told her goodnight. Maggie locked the door behind her and smiled until she drifted off to sleep.

Her plan was to sleep in for as long as she could since she was off work the next day, but when her phone rang just after six the next morning, she saw that it was Brett and answered it immediately.

“I didn’t expect to hear from you again so soon,” she said when she answered.

“I wish I had a better purpose in calling you so early,” Brett said.

Maggie sat straight up in bed. She pushed back the covers and ran her free hand through her hair. “What is it?” Her heart raced. “Please don’t tell me anything happened to Wyatt or Bradley or anyone else.”

“No, no, everyone is fine,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to scare you like that, sweetheart.”

She sighed loudly. “Okay, thank you for that.”

“Something is wrong, but not with anyone in our circle,” he said. “A body was found this morning less than a block away from the Hunter Springs donut shop.”

“Who was it?” Maggie asked.

“The name on the man’s identification is David Finney,” Brett said.

“That doesn’t ring a bell,” Maggie said.

“It probably wouldn’t, but you sort of met him last night,” he said. “It was one of the men in the alley.”

“Oh my gosh,” Maggie said. Her heart began racing again. “Who would have killed him?”

“That’s another part of all of this that will be difficult to hear, but we picked up two of the other men who were with him in the alley. We haven’t found the third one yet, but the two we do have were booked on various charges, including assaulting a police officer,” he said. “Both of them were eager to share any information that would clear them of the murder charges, too.”

“I’m scared to ask, but I have a feeling that you’re about to tell me who they said killed their friend.” Maggie sighed. “I know you already said Bradley is okay, so I’m sure that it isn’t my son.”

“It’s not your son, but it is his friend,” he said. “Both of the men claimed Zeke Soren tracked them down in the alley after we all left and attacked them again. They also said they both ran away when Zeke began beating David Finney until he was unconscious.”

“Oh, no,” Maggie said. “Have you arrested him?”

“Unfortunately, we haven’t even found him yet,” Brett admitted.

CHAPTER FOUR

Maggie dressed quickly and ran cold water to splash on her face. She wanted more than anything to relive the wonderful date with Brett from the night before, but instead she was preparing to call her son and head over to Hunter Springs to help out in whatever way she could.

“Bradley,” she said when he picked up the phone. “Brett called a few minutes ago. Are you okay?”

“No, Mom,” he said. “I don’t know whether I should be mad about the fact that my friend is being targeted as a suspect in a murder or be enraged at a guy I thought I knew for killing someone on the very first day I give him a chance at a job.”

“That’s a tough position to be in,” Maggie said.

“It is. I don’t know if I think he’s capable of murder or not,” her son told her. “But you saw the way he had those men on the ground after they attacked Brett. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Brett wasn’t hurt and even more glad that he stopped them from hurting anyone else, but the way he went after them, he was like a machine.”

“That’s a good way to describe it,” Maggie agreed. “But you knew him when you were in the Navy. What sort of relationship did you two have?”

“When I was a greenie on board the ship, Zeke had the respect and maybe even the fear of the men that liked to intimidate me,” Bradley explained. “One day, after a group of them had poured their milk over me at breakfast, Zeke took me aside and told me that I had to scrub the dishes for letting them do it to me. But while I was back there standing for hours at that sink washing dishes until my fingers turned to prunes, he taught me how to stand up taller, stick my chest out farther, and look anyone in the eye who wanted to mess with me.”

“And what happened afterwards?” Maggie said. She forced herself not to make a fuss over the way some of the men had treated her son while he was in the military.

“I got a busted lip the next day, but no one dared lay a hand on me again after that,” Bradley said. “I’ve never been much of a fighter, but Zeke taught me to fake it until I make it.”

“I can see how that has helped you in your life,” Maggie said. “Even when you took on single fatherhood and then this business, I can see how that has helped you.”

“That’s exactly right, Mom,” he said. “But now it makes me wonder if the man who I thought was a good guy wasn’t just a killer all along.”

“What do you really know about him?” Maggie asked.

“Not much,” Bradley admitted.

“Where is he from?” she asked.

“Originally? I don’t know,” Bradley said. “He told me after he got out of the Navy that he was headed to Michigan in search of work.”

“Do you know if he has family up that way, or if he had just heard about a job?” Maggie asked.

Bradley shook his head. “I’m trying to remember, but I honestly don’t know.”

“I’m just trying to figure out where he might have gone,” Maggie said.

“Do you think he killed that man in the alley?” Bradley asked her.

“Son, I met him five minutes before everything happened,” Maggie replied. She sighed and thought for a moment. “What about his other friends on board the ship? Who else did he hang out with?”

“You know, Mom,” Bradley said. “I don’t know if he had any. Seems like every time I saw him he was alone.”

“Did you hang out with Zeke yourself?” she asked.

“Yes, here and there,” he said.

“What did you talk about? What did you do together?”

“We mostly played cards. He drank when we were off the ship. Sometimes a lot. He talked about his father and his grandfather,” Bradley said. “He told stories about them running cattle out west.”

“Where out west? Did they own a ranch or something?”

“I think they were more like ranch hands for other men who owned the place,” Bradley replied. “That’s why I’m quite sure that it wasn’t his home. He wanted nothing to do with that life, but he had plenty of stories about it.”

“Did he drink every day?” Maggie asked.

“No,” Bradley said. “Alcohol is banned on board.”

“Okay and was it always just the two of you playing cards?” she asked.

“Mostly,” he said. “Every once in a while he had a couple of officers join us.”

Maggie sighed, having no real answers. “I guess the real question is whether you think there was anything in his character that tells you if he was capable of hurting someone else.”

“I want to say no. I really do, but I just can’t get over how he took all those men down.”

“It sure was something else to see that happen, but some people are capable of that sort of thing, and it doesn’t make them a killer.” She tried to reason with Bradley, but the truth was, Zeke was one of the most intimidating men she had ever encountered, and anything was possible.

CHAPTER FIVE

After Maggie hung up the phone from talking with Bradley, she decided to head out to the donut shop parking lot where Flo Johnson’s diner food truck was parked beneath the Dogwood Donuts sign. Recently Flo had added a breakfast menu and Maggie loved the typical diner offerings: pancakes, crispy bacon, hash browns, omelets, and biscuits and gravy. Once in a while, eating something other than donuts and pastries was a nice change. At first, she wasn’t sure about breakfast food being sold in the parking lot of her donut shop, but all it did was bring each of them more customers so neither of them had a thing to complain about.

She came in from the back and drove around the cars parked in front of the donut shop before heading for the far side near the sign. Flo’s order window was wide open. She chatted with a pair of customers as Maggie walked up. When she spotted her, Flo grinned and waved.

“Been a while since you darkened my door,” she said after the customers had gotten their food.

“I work just over there,” Maggie said and pointed to the donut shop. “All you have to do is walk over and you can see me anytime you want.”

“You know, I used to have the time,” Flo said. “Right now, I’m the only one running the truck in the mornings. So far, things are going well, but until I can see if this breakfast menu is going to take off for good, it’s just me.”

“Who’s here in the evenings? You can’t possibly be working all day.”

“I hired a local woman,” she said with a smile. “She used to teach high school culinary arts. And she is fantastic.”

“I’m glad you found good help,” Maggie said.

“Well, now that Jake is going to Hunter Springs every day.” She shrugged. “The first person I hired didn’t work out so well, so I had to figure something out.”

“I understand that,” Maggie said. On one hand, she felt bad that Jake had decided to stick with Bradley, especially now with the trouble he was dealing with, but it was Jake’s choice where he worked.

“Okay, enough small talk,” Flo said with a grin. “What can I get you to eat this morning?”

“I don’t know,” Maggie said. “I have been looking at the menu while we were talking, but it’s really hard to narrow things down.”

“Tell you what,” Flo said. “You let me know bacon or sausage and how you like your eggs, and I’ll take it from there.”

“Okay.” Maggie smiled, happy not to have to make any big decisions. She was intrigued by the idea of her friend putting something together for her. “Let’s go with crispy bacon and scrambled.”

“Got it.” Flo smiled. “Take a seat and I’ll be back with you in a few minutes.”

Maggie opted for the small picnic table on the green space next to the sign pole for her own sign. Sitting in the outdoors with the food truck between her and the donut shop left her feeling like she was somewhere else. She folded her arms under her chin and gazed down the road. Her stomach growled from the aromas emanating from the food truck.

“Here we are,” Flo sang out. She exited the truck through the back door, carrying a tray with a plate and a fresh cup of coffee. Maggie was shocked to see a large plate laden with small servings of every kind of breakfast treat she could imagine. Crispy bacon lay next to a stack of silver dollar pancakes and crispy hash browns were piled next to a small biscuit topped with gravy.

Flo had added a second plate with French toast covered in syrup, butter, and powdered sugar. Maggie smiled up at her friend and thanked her. “How much do I owe you?” she asked. “I didn’t even see this platter on the menu.”

“After all the free donuts and free business advice, not to mention free parking for my food truck, I should be asking you that question,” Flo said. “Enjoy.” She turned back to her food truck and left Maggie with her breakfast.

“This is so good,” Maggie said aloud when she dove into the fluffy biscuit and savory gravy. She made her way through each small helping and saved the French toast for last. Each piece was perfectly browned and crispy. She closed her eyes to savor the cinnamon-vanilla-nutmeg flavor. “Oh, this would be so good on glazed donuts,” she said to no one in particular.

“Then you should do that,” a deep voice said from behind her. She turned around quickly in her seat to find Zeke Soren standing two feet behind her. “Don’t say anything. Just keep eating.”

“Okay, Mr. Soren,” she said slowly. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here because I can’t go back to Hunter Springs,” he said. She felt the weight of the picnic table shift when he sat down next to her on the bench. “I had hoped to run into Sharpe here.”

“Well, you’ve got one of us,” she said dryly. “What do you want?”

“First of all, tell your son that I didn’t do what those two chumps in the alley said I did. I left the donut shop five minutes after I walked your friend to her pickup.”

“Where did you go?”

“My house,” Zeke said. “It’s really an old camper van, but it has everything I need. And don’t ask me where it’s parked now because I don't fancy telling you. I know you’re with the sheriff, after all.”

“You should know that Brett Mission is the most fair law enforcement officer you will ever find,” Maggie said. “He’s not apt to just run someone through the mill because a criminal says he did something. Brett will investigate a crime to the ends of the earth without drawing his own conclusions from hearsay.”

“Is that so?” Zeke asked.

“It is,” Maggie replied. She wasn’t sure if he was armed or not, but she felt no real need to find out. “I’ll ask you again,” she said. “Why are you here and what do you need?”

“I want you to tell Sharpe that I’m sorry I screwed up his offer,” Zeke said. “Tell him that I really wanted to make it work with him. I wanted to stick around here for a long time and get to know his little boy. He’s got it in him to make that place a success, you know. But looking around here, I can see where he gets it from.” He rose up slightly from the seat.

Maggie reached her hand over and grabbed him by the arm. She wasn’t sure why she had done it, but her conversation with her son that morning had left her with some questions. What sort of a man was he that had made such an impact on her son’s life?

Listening to him just now, she had an inkling that he was telling her the truth. “Why not stick around and see what happens?” she said.

“What?” Zeke asked her. He sat back down on the bench.

“Why not stay around here and prove your innocence? And then once this matter is settled, try making a go of it like you came here to do.”

“Why would I stick around if they think I killed some thug in an alley?” Zeke asked her.

“Because you didn’t do it.”

“So, you believe me, then?” he asked.

“I don’t know you, Zeke,” Maggie said. “But I can’t think of anyone who would stick around to make sure his buddy knew he was innocent unless he was.”

Zeke cleared his throat. He was about to speak again when Flo exited her food truck to collect the dishes from Maggie. She carried another plate in her hands.

“I have no idea who you are, but you sure look like you could use a bite to eat,” Flo said to Zeke. She turned to Maggie. “You okay out here?”

“Yeah, just fine,” Maggie said. “This is Zeke and he served in the Navy with my son.”

“Well, then,” Flo said. “Nice to meet you and thank you for your service. Breakfast is on me.”

“Thank you,” Zeke said. His voice trembled slightly when he spoke to her. “Thank you very much. You have no idea how much your kindness means to me.”

“No worries, whatsoever,” Flo replied. “Just leave your dishes on the table when you’re done, and I’ll pick them up later.”

Flo walked back into the food truck and shut the door behind her. Zeke hesitated for a moment, wiped a tear from his eye, and gingerly picked up the knife and fork Flo had laid across the plate. He carefully began to cut into the ham steak on his plate. Maggie noticed his shaking hands as he picked up the first bite with his fork.

“When was the last time you had anything to eat?” she asked him.

“A little while,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of money. That’s one of the reasons I jumped on the chance your son offered to me.”

“Forgive me for asking, but don’t you get money when you leave the Navy?”

“If you’re in for twenty years,” he said.

“You didn’t make it?” She’d sworn he’d said that he had.

Zeke sighed and looked at her as though he didn’t want to reveal the truth. “I did, but the Navy and I had a difference of opinion before I left,” he said.

“What does that mean?” Maggie asked him.

“It means that I am not sure if they’re going to give me my retirement. I slugged a guy in the mouth when he went after one of the women in the galley when I was standing right there,” Zeke said.

“Oh, no,” Maggie said. “That doesn’t look very good for you even if you were just trying to help.”

Zeke shoved half of a gravy-covered biscuit in his mouth and nodded his head. “Wasn’t good then, and it sure isn’t good for me now,” he said. “Maybe now you can understand why I’m not jumping at the chance to prove myself an ideal citizen in this matter.”

“I get that,” Maggie said. “But do you know what my son told me about you?”

“I have no idea,” Zeke said.

“Bradley told me that you taught him how to stand up against his adversaries,” Maggie said. “He said that you made him wash dishes for hours until he figured out how to ‘fake it until he made it,’ or something like that.”

“Nothing remarkable about that,” he said.

“Maybe not,” Maggie said. “But I know the kind of man who raised him, and I saw nothing of that man when Bradley became a single father or when he took over the new donut shop in Hunter Springs. Honestly, and I’ve never told another soul this, it shocks me to see what kind of a man my son has become. For quite a while now, I’ve wondered where that man came from and after hearing him tell me about you, I think I have an idea.”

“You don’t know what those words mean,” Zeke said. “Sometimes a little kindness is all it takes.”

CHAPTER SIX

Brett had texted Maggie to let her know he planned to stop by to see her. She had offered to make something to eat, but he declined and promised to bring something over for them both so they could enjoy a meal together.

She decided to brew some sweet tea for their meal and filled two large glasses with ice. When Brett arrived, she set the glasses on either side of the large outdoor swing she had bought for the backyard and helped him with the salad and pizza he brought.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Maggie said after they finished eating.

They sat side by side in the swing. She rested her head on his arm, too short for it to reach his shoulder.

“What’s up?” he asked her. “Is everything okay?”

“I saw Zeke a little while ago,” she admitted.

Brett sat upright. “You saw him? Where is he?” he asked.

“I don’t know where he is currently,” Maggie said. “But he found me sitting at the picnic table in front of The Diner.” Flo’s food truck was known simply as “The Diner.”

“Okay, so what did he say?” Brett asked her slowly.

“He thought he might run into Bradley there,” she began. “He said that it was important for him that Bradley knew he had nothing to do with the murder of that guy in the alley.”

“David Finney,” Brett said.

“Right. David Finney,” Maggie said. “Zeke called him a thug. Anyway, he wouldn’t tell me where he was staying, but I got the idea that he didn’t plan to stick around here for long.”

“Did he tell you anything else?”

Maggie nodded and sipped her sweet tea. “He lives in an older camper van, and he hasn't eaten for a while,” she continued. “Flo brought him a plate of food for free.”

“Okay,” Brett asked. “Anything else?”

“He told me that he was dealing with a disagreement with the Navy over his pension. He said something about having hit some jerk who had been bothering a woman,” she said. “He figured that wouldn’t look really good given the situation he’s in here.”

“I just have one question for you, Maggie,” Brett said. She noticed how stiff his body had become. “When he was sitting there next to you, why didn’t you pick up your phone and let me know where he was? You were aware that he is a person of interest in a murder.”

Maggie felt shocked at the tone in his voice. “Because my phone was in the car, and not with me,” she said.

“And when he left? Why didn’t you call me then?” Brett asked.

“Because when we were talking, I did my best to convince him to get in touch with you, Brett,” she said. “I told him what a fair man you are and how you will not make any judgments about anything until you see where the evidence takes you.”

“That’s a nice thing to say, but you should have let me know sooner than now,” he said.

“Wait, you’re angry with me? This all just happened a couple of hours ago,” Maggie said.

“And two hours from here are several major cities where he could get lost among thousands of other people,” he said. “I can’t believe you didn’t let me know about this as soon as it happened.”

“Do you have a warrant for him?” Maggie asked him.

“That doesn’t make any difference,” he said. “You should know that.”

“I thought he was going to contact you himself,” she said. “I honestly thought that he would. I think he’s a good man, deep down.”

Brett stood up from the swing and walked toward his car without another word to her. “You’re leaving right now?” she asked him. She found herself too shocked and confused to say much else.

“Yeah, Maggie. I am leaving,” he said. “I have a feeling I know what’s going on here and I can’t believe it. I’m just angry at myself for being too blind to see it coming.”

“What are you talking about? Just because I didn’t call you the second I saw Zeke you’re angry and leaving? I told you that I thought he was going to reach out to you,” she said. “I guess I felt like it was best to let him make that move.”

“Is that what you thought?” Brett said. His face reddened and his eyes narrowed the longer he spoke.

“Yes,” Maggie said. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes. “What else do you think is going on here?”

“I think I’m a fool,” he said to her. “That’s what I think.” He opened his car door, climbed inside, and slammed the door shut. Maggie sat in the swing and watched him back out of her driveway as fast as his car could move.

She sat back on the swing for nearly a half hour before she could force herself to get up. She was stunned by Brett’s reaction. She was shocked at his anger. Of course, she had to ask herself, why hadn’t she called him right away? It wasn’t because she had wanted to hide anything from him. It just hadn’t felt like an emergency.

Besides, as far as she knew, Zeke was not a suspect. He still wasn’t a wanted man, aside from the desire to question him about his whereabouts. In fact, the way she took it, the other men who had been arrested seemed the suspects.

She needed the names of those men. And she needed to find the third one who the police had not picked up yet. She was sure he would help provide some answers that would either clear Zeke or point out his guilt. Either way, she had a burning desire to start working on something.

The one thing she couldn’t do was ask Brett for help. She needed to figure out the names of the other men all on her own.

One thing about Brett being the county sheriff, most of the crimes that involved the sheriff’s department were reported in the largest newspaper in the county. Maggie stood up from the swing at last, picked up the empty tea glasses, and headed inside to get her laptop from the bedroom and see what she could find.

She set the glasses in the sink and locked up the doors for the evening. Bradley was busy with Wyatt over in Hunter Springs. Without Brett coming by, there was no reason to expect that anyone else would stop by. She changed quickly into comfortable clothes and settled in on the couch.

She brought up the county newspaper and checked the police blotter. Sure enough, there was a long section devoted to the events that began at the Hunter Springs donut shop.

She spotted her own name as the official owner of the place, along with Brett’s, Bradley’s, and the others who were there. A little further down the same page she found an entire article devoted to the discovery of the body. The article mentioned the name of the dead man, David Finney. She found what she was looking for in the second full paragraph.

The names of the other men were listed as Larry Madsen, Rocco Sanchez, and Chuck Wentz. Maggie set the laptop to the side and rushed back in the kitchen for a pen and a tablet of paper. She wrote each name down on a separate sheet of paper. She added the name of the victim to another page and Zeke to the last page.

As fast as she could, Maggie wrote down the details she could recall from her conversation with Bradley about Zeke and the words the man himself spoke to her. Since she knew the most about him, she decided to turn to social media platforms for any information she could find.

Zeke Soren was an unusual name, so Maggie assumed that the search would be an easy one. But when she tried the most common websites, she couldn’t find a single profile under his name. She was directed to dozens of profiles with similar names and spent the remainder of the evening scrolling through each one searching for any likeness to the man she had met.

When her eyes couldn't stay open a moment longer, Maggie reluctantly set the laptop aside and went to bed.

CHAPTER SEVEN

When she woke the following morning, Maggie’s heart was heavy. She fought the temptation to open up her laptop before she left and search more for the other men mentioned in the article. Instead, she set the computer back in the bedroom to keep it out of her sight. She dressed and headed into work an hour earlier than anyone else would arrive.

Maggie stared across the empty kitchen when she arrived at the donut shop. When she left home, she’d had the ambition to get things started early, but standing there so early in the morning, she realized how uninspired she was to actually start working.

What she decided to do instead was create something. She pulled a few ingredients out of the cooler and began sorting them on the prep table. She found three dozen day-old glazed donuts boxed up toward the back of the cooler.

Maggie thought back to her breakfast at Flo’s food truck and grinned. She had an idea of what she wanted to do. She began by slicing each of the donuts in half and setting them aside on a tray. In a large metal bowl from the storeroom, she mixed together heavy cream, six eggs, ground cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and a small amount of sugar. She whisked the mixture and held it to her nose to take in the aroma. “Not enough vanilla,” she said when she set the bowl down on the prep table once more. She added another two tablespoons of vanilla and mixed it in.

She set a deep skillet on top of the large stove top and turned on the fire below it. She placed an entire stick of butter in the skillet and returned to the prep table.

Next, she dipped each half of a glazed donut into the mixture and placed it into a different, shallow skillet. The donut immediately began to sizzle in the pan. After a minute, Maggie turned each half over and waited another minute before removing the first batch from the pan and adding a second. She set the halves on a clean tray and promptly dusted them with powdered sugar.

By the time Ruby’s key turned in the back door lock, Maggie had assembled three full trays of the French toast donuts. She placed two halves on a plate and added soft butter and maple syrup on the side for Ruby, then presented her creation to her with a fork and a fresh cup of coffee.

“I had some inspiration this morning,” she said and waited while Ruby took the plate out of her hands. Without a word, Ruby cut into the donut, dipped the bite into the syrup, and popped it into her mouth.

Her eyes widened and she smiled. “This is excellent,” she said and cut a second bite. “Where did you find the recipe?”

“I didn’t follow a recipe, exactly,” Maggie said. “I mean, I am sure recipes for this exist, but I just sort of whipped this together over the past hour.

“The flavor is very rich,” Ruby said. She walked in a circle with the plate still in her hand. “It’s almost like it just clings to the donut with the exact amount of thickness to be both French toast and a glazed donut.”

“That’s sort of what I was going for,” Maggie said.

“Be nice,” Ruby teased. “It’s early and I haven’t even had a sip of coffee yet.”

“But do you think this is a good addition to the menu?” Maggie asked. “I used the day-old glazed donuts in the cooler.”

Ruby tried another bite and sat down on a wooden stool. “I think it’s an excellent addition to the menu. We’ll need to order serving bowls for the syrup and more syrup, of course.”

“Good.” Maggie sighed. “At least one good thing has come from the last day or so.”

“Just one good thing? Didn’t you have a romantic date with Brett the other night?” Ruby asked. She rose from her seat and set the plate down on the prep table.

“We did have a beautiful date the other night,” Maggie said. “But I went and ruined everything last night anyway, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“How did you ruin things?” Ruby asked as she tied her apron behind her back.

“I had breakfast at The Diner yesterday morning after Brett called me and filled me in on what happened to the man who attacked him in Hunter Springs the other night,” she said. “I assume that you heard one of those men was found dead in the alley a block from Bradley’s store.”

“I did hear that,” Ruby said. “How is Bradley dealing with all of this?”

“I talked to him for a long time yesterday before I ate at the food truck and he is struggling with the thought that his friend from the Navy might be the kind of person who could kill another human being,” Maggie said.

“Does he think Zeke killed the man in the alley?” Ruby asked.

“He isn’t sure,” Maggie said. “That’s why he’s struggling so much.”

“Okay, so where does Brett come into the picture?” Ruby asked her.

“Well, while I was eating at the picnic table next to the food truck, Zeke came up behind me and sat down next to me.”

“He did? Where was he before then?” Ruby asked.

“He wouldn’t tell me,” Maggie said.

“What did Brett do when you called to tell him?” Ruby asked. She returned to her stool and sat in suspense awaiting Maggie’s answer.

“Well, I didn’t call him,” Maggie said. “I told him a few hours later when he stopped by the house with pizza and salad for us to share.”

“Wait a minute,” Ruby said. “A suspect in a murder comes up behind you and calling the county sheriff, who also happens to be your significant other, was not the first thing you did?”

“Look, I listened to what Zeke had to say,” Maggie explained. “I let him talk and then asked him as many questions as he would permit me to ask. I wasn’t thinking about him as a fugitive.”

“But you knew the police wanted to speak with him after what those two other men had to say, right?”

“I knew that Brett wanted to talk to him,” Maggie said. “But I didn’t think of him as an official suspect.”

“But Maggie, two other men named him as the killer of their friend,” Ruby said gently. “Why wasn’t that the first thing on your mind?”

“I don’t know,” Maggie admitted. “It just wasn’t. Besides, I didn’t have my phone, and by the time I could have gotten to it, Zeke was long gone.”

“Okay, but after he left, why didn’t you call Brett then?” Ruby pressed her.

“I don’t know,” Maggie said. “I just didn’t.”

“It almost seems like you wanted to protect Zeke more than you wanted to help Brett with his case.”

“Help Zeke? No, that isn’t it at all,” Maggie argued. The thought that she was trying to protect a man she barely knew did not settle well with her. “I was thinking about Bradley and his relationship with him more than anything, I guess.”

“Are you sure that’s it?” Ruby asked. “You have to know how this looks.”

“How what looks?” Maggie shot back. “Why are you suddenly making a federal case out of this, too?”

“Calm down, Maggie,” Ruby said firmly. “Now you think for a good, long second about how this had to look to Brett.”

“How do you think it looked to him?” Maggie asked. She wasn’t so much asking to make a rhetorical point. Part of her was completely lost about what was happening.

“I never like to put words in anyone’s mouth, but I can only imagine that he felt a little betrayed by it, Maggie,” Ruby said. “He’s pretty open with you about his job. Even when he was still the police chief he faced all kinds of criticism from the public for every aspect of his job. Now as the sheriff, do you think that has gotten better?”

“Of course not,” Maggie said. “But you’re making it sound like I committed a crime.”

“And if they decide to file murder charges against Zeke, what then?” Ruby pressed her. “Can you imagine what the general public will have to say about Brett then? You wouldn’t believe the criticism I’ve heard since I was elected to the city council, Maggie. If it gets out that his girlfriend spoke to the murder suspect and then waited hours to inform him that you had, it won’t be pretty.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

“What is this thing we’re doing with the glazed donuts?” Orson asked when he arrived at the donut shop for his shift. “Is this a donut thing or are we giving Flo a run for her money?”

“It is just a new variation on a donut,” Maggie said. She knew she sounded a little snappy, but given how she felt inside, it was the best she could do.

“You’re a ball of sunshine today, aren’t you?” Orson rolled his eyes and didn't stay in the kitchen long enough for her to answer. He picked up a tray with two French toast donut platters and headed toward the Old Timer’s table.

“What’s going on with everyone today?” Naomi asked. She stood at the sink next to the prep table where Ruby kept her back turned to the rest of the kitchen while Maggie worked on a French toast inspired scone at the baker’s table.

“Well, I don’t know about everybody else, but I’m pretty uptight about the fact that there was a murder less than a block from the new store in Hunter Springs,” Myra said. “I listened to Brooks talking about it on the phone for hours last night.”

“Oh yeah,” Ruby said and turned around slightly. “What does he think happened?”

“Well, Brooks has a lot of doubts about the men they picked up who were there.”

“Really?” Ruby asked. “But they told him who they saw killing the man. Does he not believe what they said about who killed him?”

Myra shook her head. “I just overheard him say that a criminal and a liar never stop being what they are. He doesn’t believe that either one of those men are reliable resources.”

“Did he say anything about finding the third guy?” Ruby asked. Maggie kept to herself.

“No, other than the fact that they are still on the lookout for him,” Myra said. “Brooks feels like once they locate that guy, they will have their answers.”

“But what about the guy Bradley hired?” Naomi asked. “Does he think that he might have had something to do with it?”

Myra shrugged. “I don’t honestly know. He did say that the fact that he jumped into action so fast and was able to put all four men down like he did, doesn’t make the guy look very good. But again, he said that you can’t expect a criminal to suddenly become an honest man when you ask him a question.”

“You guys met him, right Maggie, Ruby?” Naomi asked. “What did you think of him?”

The room was silent suddenly. Maggie kept her eyes down at the table while she spoke. After a moment, Ruby cleared her throat and answered.

“We did meet him, but I don’t think that any of us really spent a whole lot of time forming an opinion before everything happened,” Ruby said.

“I guess not,” Myra said. “I think that Brooks is right. The most important thing they can do right now is talk to the third guy.”

Maggie worked quietly while her mind raced. She was grateful to Ruby for speaking up when she did, but she still harbored some resentment toward her for the things she had said to her earlier in the day.

By noon, it was clear that the French toast donuts were a hit. Maggie checked the status of the scones in the display case. More than half of the trays she had set out less than an hour ago were gone. She glanced around the full dining room. Several patrons were eating the French toast donuts, and many had both the donuts and the scone as well.

Maggie headed back to the kitchen with an empty tray. She nearly ran Orson over on her way through the swinging door into the kitchen.

“Whoa there, Missy,” Orson said. “What’s got you in such a hurry?”

“Nothing,” Maggie said. “I was just checking the display case for trays.”

“Seems like you found one,” he said, looking at the tray in her hands. “How about you go and put that in the sink and then come back and then go take a break? I haven’t seen you off of your feet once this morning.”

“I really can’t,” Maggie protested. “I have too much to do right now.”

“In fact, I think you and Ruby both could use a break.” Ruby turned to look at him from the prep table where she placed the last of the boxed lunches together.

“I have to finish this,” she told him.

“You know, I understand that the two of you are the actual bosses around here, but I have something to say about your well-being and the well-being of everyone else,” Orson said. “And I say that the two of you need to have a break. Right now. Together.”

“Orson, I think we were both clear about the fact that we are busy right now,” Ruby said.

“And I think I’m pushing boundaries right now for a very good reason,” Orson said. “So, unless you decide to put your feet right down in the middle of it and change things forever, I suggest you just let me have this one. Let me finish the boxed lunches. Myra and Naomi have everything else in hand right now.”

Ruby set the box in her hand back on the prep table and untied her apron. She glanced at Maggie and gestured for her to do the same. Maggie sighed and reluctantly followed her. She hung her apron on the hook closest to her office door and headed for the front. Ruby had two mugs of coffee ready when she took a seat at the booth on the far side of the counter. Maggie decided to bring two vanilla bean scones along with her, a favorite of both of theirs.

She slid into the seat across from Ruby and said nothing for a moment. Ruby cleared her throat and spoke first.

“Is this our first fight as friends?” she asked.

Maggie raised her eyes to meet her friend’s. “Was it a fight? I wouldn’t say that,” she said. “I think you just had some strong feelings about what happened, and I’m still not sure what exactly happened.”

“I guess that’s better than a fight,” Ruby said. “And what do you mean that you’re still not sure what happened?”

Maggie sipped her coffee and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know why I didn’t call Brett right away, but it wasn’t a deliberate decision, if that makes any sense,” she said.

“It sort of makes sense,” Ruby said.

“I mean, I didn’t sit there talking to Zeke thinking about how I was going to hide this from Brett the entire time,” Maggie said. “And when I left there I had every intention of telling him about it, but it didn’t feel like an urgent thing. I tried to talk Zeke into speaking with Brett.”

“Maybe he would have gone to Brett on his own,” Ruby said. “I can see why you would urge him to do it.”

“Thank you,” Maggie said. “But the reality is, Brett probably feels like my actions prevented him from the chance to apprehend Zeke in order to question him.”

“I bet in the back of your mind you assume Zeke didn’t kill David Finney,” Ruby said. “And why wouldn’t you? Why wouldn’t either of us? After all, Zeke was the one who jumped into action when four men attacked Brett.”

“I guess you’re right, but I think you were right when you said this may not look very good for Brett in the eyes of the public,” Maggie said. “It makes me sad to admit it, but it is possible that Brett has decided that a relationship with me isn’t worth it any longer. I’m not sure he and I can make it back from this.”

“Maggie, I don’t think that this is going to make Brett leave you behind for a second,” Ruby said. She chuckled and shook her head. “That man is in love with you, and nothing will change that. Not even if he had seen you pull out a gun and shoot someone dead in the alley yourself.”

Maggie set her coffee mug down and stared at her friend. “Ruby,” she said at last. “I think you’re reading a little bit too much into Brett’s feelings for me.”

“No, Maggie,” Ruby said with a grin. “I am not reading too much into Brett’s feelings for you. I know what I’m talking about.”

“How? How do you know?” Maggie asked. Her head was spinning for the second time in twenty-four hours. “How in the world could you know that when I don’t even know it?”

Ruby leaned her elbows on the table and stared Maggie straight in the eyes. “Listen to me. He is deeply in love with you. Without a doubt I know that. I can’t tell you how I know it, though, so don’t ask me.”

Maggie sighed and sipped her coffee. “Whatever you say, but I’m still not so sure about any of this.”

CHAPTER NINE

Maggie drove the short distance home and walked straight through the house to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She peeled off her work clothes and stepped right in without checking for a towel or setting clean clothes out. She let the hot water pour over her head and closed her eyes. The hot water did little to clear her mind. She wrapped herself up in a towel and padded down the hall to her bedroom where she dressed quickly, and then threw herself on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

She sat up on the bed after a few minutes, and then swung her legs over the side and stood up. She walked back down the hall to the bathroom, pulled her hair back in a quick braid, and swiped mascara over her eyelashes.

There were so many directions she could go in, but Maggie had no idea where to start. She walked through the dining room and peered out the window, then turned back toward the kitchen and crossed the house again. Before she knew it, she was in the doorway of the bedroom. She spotted her laptop resting on top of the bookshelf. A second later, the laptop was in her hands, and she was headed toward the kitchen. She grabbed her bag on her way out the door and went straight for her car.

Maggie drove across town toward Ruby’s farm. It was the direction she chose, for better or worse. She drove up Ruby’s driveway and parked next to her truck. Ruby was out in the pasture with the smallest calves from her herd. She waved and cast a quizzical look at Maggie.

“I’m restless,” Maggie confessed when her friend was in earshot. “I took a shower and grabbed my laptop and headed out here before I really knew what I was doing.”

Ruby smiled and shut the gate behind her. “That’s okay,” she said. “I’m glad you came out. I have been thinking about the case in Hunter Springs a bit myself.”

“I’m glad that you said that,” Maggie said. “I just want to figure out who did this and why, and then move forward with my life.”

“Well, I see you have your laptop,” Ruby said. “I happen to have the fixings for some world class bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches. I also happen to have the fixings for the best peach margaritas you’ve ever tasted.”

“If that’s meant to be a temptation, consider me tempted,” Maggie said. Ruby hooked her arm on her own and together they walked up to the door of her farmhouse and headed inside for dinner.

Maggie piled crispy bacon, garden fresh tomatoes, and fresh lettuce on her sliced bread and added mayonnaise. Ruby set out her famous apple slaw and a Greek salad. Maggie piled her plate full and followed her best friend outside to the Adirondack chair where she had already set her laptop.

“To you and me,” Ruby said when she raised the glass Mason jar filled with peach margarita.

“To us,” Maggie said. “Let us never forget the importance of our friendship.”

“Agreed,” Ruby said. She settled into her chair and set the drink to the side. Her laptop was resting on the wide arm. “Now, tell me what we’re looking for.”

“We know the name of the dead man is David Finney,” Maggie began. “The two men Brett has in custody are Rocco Sanchez and Larry Madsen.”

“And the other guy? The one they haven’t arrested yet?”

“The one who got away is Chuck Wentz,” Maggie said. “Bradley’s friend’s name is Zeke Soren.”

“I’m going to look into the first two, for starters,” Ruby offered.

“Alright,” Maggie said. “I guess that leaves me with Chuck and Zeke.”

“Let’s see what we can find out,” Ruby suggested.

“I already know there is no Zeke Soren on Facebook or Instagram,” Maggie said. “I looked that one up last night myself.”

“I would go into a general Google search,” Ruby suggested. “You may find something out about him that way.”

Maggie nodded. She decided to start with Chuck Wentz. She browsed several profiles on social media. There appeared to be at least a half dozen people by that name in the state of Missouri alone. She tried to narrow down her search by searching through his pictures but found no one that was local to her part of the state or that seemed even the least bit familiar.

Next she turned to a search of state court records. She entered his name into the search engine and waited. Hundreds of cases appeared. Maggie narrowed the search down by county and then the city of Hunter Springs.

She found three dozen separate cases for Charles A. Wentz. She found charges going back more than twenty years for robbery, assault, fraud, and battery. She clicked on the most serious charges and added up the time he had spent in prison.

“Chuck Wentz is forty-nine years old,” she said to Ruby. “And it looks like he has been in and out of prison since he was seventeen.”

“He sounds like both of his friends,” Ruby said. “Assault, armed robbery, fraud.”

“Fraud? For both of them?”

“Yes, actually,” Ruby said. She studied her computer screen for a long moment. “Maggie, look at Wentz’s record again.”

“Okay,” Maggie said. “What am I looking for exactly?”

“The dates he was incarcerated for fraud,” she said. “See if you can find any information about where he was located to serve his sentence.”

“Let see. He was in the Missouri Department of Corrections for fourteen years,” Maggie said. “He was released five years ago last May.”

“So, that means that he would have been in ten years ago, correct?”

“Yes,” Maggie said.

“So were Sanchez and Madsen,” Ruby said. “You know what I wonder?”

“If David Finney was also there ten years back,” Maggie said. She clicked a few times and nodded her head. “Yup.”

“Under what charges?”

“Same. He was in for fraud,” Maggie said. “Just like the other men.”

“That tells me that the four of them could have met while they were in prison,” Ruby said.

Maggie shook her head. “Or what if they maybe knew each other before? If you look at the dates they were arrested, unless it’s a coincidence, they were all on trial around the same time.”

Ruby stared at Maggie for a long moment, and then set about typing madly on her laptop for several moments. She leaned toward the screen and her eyes narrowed.

“Maggie,” she said slowly. “They did know each other. All four of them were charged with the same crime around twenty-two years ago.”

“The fraud charge?”

“Yes, but it was about who they defrauded.”

“And who was that?” Maggie asked.

“It was a woman named Sarah Finney,” Ruby said.

“Sarah Finney was David Finney’s mother,” Maggie repeated. She had seen the name in her searches. “Why on earth would her own son participate in a fraud against her?”

“Well, think about what Brooks said about believing a criminal,” Ruby said.

“I wonder if the four of them had a falling out?” Maggie said. “Maybe David had his own regrets and hated the other men for it, now that he’s older. Maybe his age taught him what his younger self could never see. That betraying and stealing from his own mother was something you could never live down, especially in your own mind.”

“The article said that the four of them defrauded her over her life’s savings,” Ruby said. “I wonder what happened to her after that?”

Maggie turned to her own laptop and Googled Sarah Finney’s name. “I found her obituary. Eighteen years ago,” she said. She looked over the top of her screen at Ruby. “That must have been right after they all went to prison.”

“Were any of them convicted on drug charges?” Ruby asked her.

Maggie searched again for several moments. When she returned to the courts page, she found more charges. Ruby was right. One of them had been convicted for possession and distribution of narcotics. “David Finney,” she said at last. “Apparently, he was the one with the problem.”

CHAPTER TEN

Maggie made arrangements with Naomi to open the donut shop the next morning. She had decided to head to Hunter Springs to spend time with her son at the new donut shop. She had yet to touch base with him again about the unfortunate previous events that had occurred there and wanted to see if he had heard anything from Zeke.

After her research session with Ruby, Maggie had taken it upon herself to spend a couple hours going down deep rabbit holes in her search for information about Zeke. What she found was more disturbing than she could describe.

The incident that separated Zeke Soren from the Navy was a little more than just a fight between a couple of sailors. The man who he’d told her about had been taken to the hospital with a brain bleed from the trauma to his head.

From the newspaper articles, she gathered Zeke was on the run, which could be the real reason why his pension had been delayed. And if he was facing a court martial, the truth was more likely that he had run from the court martial.

“Good morning, Mom,” Bradley said when she entered the kitchen from the rear.

“Hello, Son,” Maggie said. “How are things going this morning?”

“So far, things are looking pretty good,” Bradley told her. He stood in front of the deep fryer and flipped the donuts over as they fried. “Jake and I have been quite busy.”

“I take it that you haven’t heard any more from Zeke,” Maggie said.

Bradley shook his head, although his back was now turned to her. “What did he tell you when you saw him in Dogwood Mountain?”

Maggie groaned. Clearly, Bradley had gotten the information through the grapevine that she’d seen Zeke. “He said that he and the Navy had a difference of opinion after he got into a fight,” she said.

“Turns out there was a little more than that to it,” Bradley said.

“I know, Son,” she said. “I found newspaper articles about what happened to the guy after Zeke got through with him.”

“How bad was it?” Bradley asked. “I know that it was something, but I don’t know how bad it was.”

“A serious head trauma,” Maggie said.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Bradley said after a moment. “And I had that man in my home around Wyatt.”

“He said he didn’t kill the man in the alley, Bradley,” Maggie said. “He came to Dogwood Mountain to tell me to get a message to you.”

“What was the message?”

“That he was sorry he ruined the opportunity you gave him,” Maggie said. “He wanted to tell you that he wouldn’t have killed the man.”

“Huh,” Bradley scowled. “It would have been nice to hear that from his mouth instead of yours.”

“I think he hadn’t eaten for a while when he came to me,” Maggie said, directing the conversation. “I was eating at the picnic table next to Flo’s food truck. When she saw him there, she fixed him a plate and he practically inhaled it.”

Bradley turned and studied his mother for a minute. “You don’t think he’s guilty, do you?”

Maggie shrugged. “I honestly don’t know,” she said. “Most of me doesn’t think he could do it. And the other part of me thinks like you do, that he might be a dangerous man.”

“If he didn’t do it, who did?” Bradley asked. He turned the fresh donuts out on a sheet pan. He added more to the fryer and started the process all over again. “I decided to double the glazed donuts and try out your French toast donut recipe.”

Maggie smiled. “I think you’ll find the crowd really goes for it,” she said. “And to answer your question, last night Ruby and I made a few interesting discoveries.”

“Discoveries? Like what?” he asked.

“Discoveries like all four of the men from the alley were part of a fraud scheme almost two decades ago,” she said. “And that all four of them served in the same prison in the middle of the state.”

“Fraud? They went to prison for fraud? That’s hard to believe, given the fact that they were all hanging out in the alley behind this place like a bunch of homeless guys or something,” Bradley said.

“It gets even worse,” Maggie said. “The person they went to prison for defrauding was David Finney’s elderly mother.”

“What? Wait a minute,” Bradley said. “You’re telling me that the man who was killed less than a block from here was hanging out with the same men who took money from his mother almost twenty years ago?”

“That’s exactly what I am telling you,” Maggie said. “He was among them, Son. He committed fraud against his own mother, and he had a drug problem on top of it all. He was in jail until about a year ago on drug charges.”

“This is crazy,” Bradley said. “On one hand, it’s easy to believe Zeke could have hung around and confronted them in the alley later that same night.”

“But it could be that the merry gang of thieves had turned on itself,” Maggie finished. “How on earth can you live with yourself after doing what Finney did to his own mother?”

“Maybe he is dead now because he started asking himself that question, once the drugs wore off and his mind was cleared,” Bradley said.

“You would think that the fact that he was released from prison not so long ago would mean that he had revived his drug use, not given it up,” Maggie said.

Bradley shook his head. “I knew a few guys in the Navy who had worked as prison guards before they joined up,” he said. “But to hear them talk, you would think being in prison is almost like camping out in a supermarket dedicated to illegal drugs.”

“Okay, so maybe when he got back out and couldn’t access them so easily, he might have wound up more clear headed,” Maggie said.

“And a whole lot more angry at himself and his buddies for what they did to his mother,” Bradley said. “And maybe for what they let him do to her, too.”

They chatted a bit longer and Maggie eventually donned a clean apron and worked in the Hunter Springs kitchen for several hours before she decided to call it a day and head towards home. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to hang around too long just in case she ran into Brett. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him, but she just wanted to be prepared before she did.

Bradley promised to let her know if he heard from Zeke again. She promised the same. To herself, she promised that she would call Brett before she talked to another soul if she happened to run into him herself.

She drove a few minutes outside of Hunter Springs when her gas light came on. She sighed and veered off the highway. At least she was just in time to make it to the last gas station between Hunter Springs and Dogwood Mountain.

Maggie pulled around to the pump on the far side of the station, closest to the gas station itself. She unhooked the gas nozzle and began fueling her car. While the gas pumped she checked the time on her phone.

She looked up from her phone and scanned the area around the gas station. She had the sudden, vague sense that she was being watched. She glanced at the digital display on the gas pump and decided that she had enough gas to get back home. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. She turned back to her car and climbed in.

Before she could pull her car out of the area, a car pulled in behind of her. Another vehicle, an old pickup truck, pulled in front of her, blocking her in. Maggie felt the panic well up in her middle. Her car was trapped.

She pressed hard on her steering wheel. Her horn echoed off of the masonry brick gas station. The honking horn did nothing to make either vehicle move. Two men exited the truck while a third stepped out of the car. Maggie gripped her car wheel and glanced to make sure the doors were locked.

She thought about Brett and gasped. Her phone lay on the console beneath the dashboard. Why hadn’t she called him already? She released the wheel and picked it up.

The man from the car approached her window and gestured for her to roll the window down. Maggie shook her head and pressed the key that was a shortcut to Brett’s number. One of the men from the truck joined him and brandished a firearm. He tapped the window with the barrel of the gun.

“Open your car door,” he shouted. Maggie shook her head again. The man frowned and bashed the window with his fist. Maggie jumped in her seat. Her phone fumbled out of her hand and landed on the floor.

She looked up at the men staring hard at her through her window. Maggie instantly recognized their faces.

All it took was another hard punch from the driver of the truck to shatter her window and reach inside for her. She had no choice but to get out of her car. As soon as her feet hit the ground, Maggie screamed at the top of her lungs. One of the men reached around behind her and pressed his hand over her mouth preventing her from screaming.

He walked her away from the car and held her still while the others searched it starting with the front seat all the way to the trunk. She watched as they threw anything out on the ground that might be of value. Her car jack, four-way lug wrench, a small tote with roadside tools, and her first aid kit lay on the asphalt next to her car.

“A first aid kit? Really, Sanchez,” the man behind her scoffed.

“Shut up,” Sanchez said. “Do you want her to hear our names?”

Maggie already knew the names of the men. Rocco Sanchez, who, last she knew, had been arrested after the incident in Hunter Springs, was the man still leaning over her front seat rummaging through her glove box.

The man who stood behind her with his hand over her mouth was Chuck Wentz, the third man in the group of thugs that jumped Brett who was never caught after the murder of David Finney that same night.

Sanchez picked up her cell phone from the passenger-side floorboard. He pushed on the screen, then shrugged and tossed the phone against the building. Maggie winced as the phone fell to the ground below. She looked around the gas station for any other people. Where was the gas station attendant?

Her question was answered when the third man in the group moved around in her sight again. He wore a short-sleeve polo with the station’s logo above the right breast pocket. Tears stung her eyes. She was alone.

No help was coming.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Maggie watched the first man fall before she could see the tall figure in the wool beanie come into her sight. He rounded the back of the car when Rocco Sanchez met him behind the trunk with a raised fist. She felt Chuck shift his weight behind her. The next sensation was cold metal pressed into her temple.

Sanchez hit the ground like the first man with just two hits. Zeke turned to face Wentz, the man behind her back. He strolled slowly to the side of her car and leaned against the driver door.

Maggie wanted to scream at him for his nonchalant approach to the current situation she was in. But the pressure around her neck released suddenly. She felt the man behind her jerk away from her. Zeke stepped closer to her and yanked her forward by her arm.

Two officers rushed past her and snatched the two men off of the ground behind her car. Zeke turned her around to face the other direction where Brett stood with Chuck Wentz already in handcuffs. Roughly, he turned him around and marched him toward his police cruiser. The two deputies did the same with Sanchez and the other man.

“Can you see to it that she gets home safely?” Brett called back to Zeke.

“I’ll drive her home and then go visit that nice lady at the food truck in front of the donut shop,” Zeke said. He quietly led Maggie to the passenger side of her car. “We’ll get your stuff back in your car after the cops are finished here.”

“That’s fine,” Maggie said numbly. She said nothing for a moment, then turned slightly toward the driver’s seat. “What just happened?”

“Those guys just robbed you at a gas station,” Zeke said. “And your sheriff and I kicked some butt.” He grinned at her.

“No, I mean, how did Brett know? They threatened me with a weapon and broke my window to get me out of my car. I knew who two of them were and I was sure they planned to…” Maggie said. She began to shiver and shake.

“Hey, Mrs. Sharpe,” Zeke said. His voice lowered and softened. “Maggie. You are okay. It was your cell phone. You managed to call Brett before they pulled you out of the car.”

“My call really went through?” Maggie managed to say.

“Brett was able to track your phone here,” Zeke said.

“How did you wind up here?” Maggie asked. Her head ached and her thoughts slipped in and out of focus. Somehow Zeke showed up at the same time as Brett.

“I was with your sheriff,” Zeke said. “I thought about what you had said. And I went to him, and we talked for a long time. When he got the call, I told him that I would go along and help out in any way I could. I guess he believed me.”

“Woah, what happened?” she asked. “Have you been cleared of David Finney’s murder?”

“I have.” Zeke smiled. “Thanks to you, in part. Your friend Ruby called Brett and filled him in on what the two of you figured out.”

“So, what does he think? Who was responsible?” Maggie asked.

“Chuck Wentz,” Zeke said. He dropped the name like a heavy rock. “The man who just had you wrapped up.”

“How do you know?” Maggie asked. She felt like she had been asleep for a week. “What changed? The last thing I knew, you were among those suspected. Ruby and I just started forming a theory about the other men.”

“I’ll let Brett fill you in on the rest,” Zeke told her.

Maggie turned her attention to the scenery as it passed by the window. She allowed herself to sigh and exhale. The events at the gas station had happened so quickly. She needed a minute to process everything.

“Zeke,” Maggie said when she regained her awareness a bit. “What about the Navy? Are you going to end up in trouble with them?”

Zeke gripped the steering wheel and looked sideways at her. “You’ve done some homework, I take it,” he said. “There are some articles rolling around about what happened. Some of them are correct, some are only partially right. You see, the kid I got into it with was the grandson of a retired higher up.”

“One article said that you gave him a traumatic brain injury,” Maggie said.

Zeke nodded. He pulled the car off of the highway and slowed down. “Yeah,” he said. “I have seen that, too. And the one about the court martial. The truth is that the retired colonel tried everything he could to get me to face court martial. His son and his grandson were embarrassed.”

“So, that’s where the differences came between yourself and the Navy?” Maggie asked.

“That would be those differences,” he said. “That’s why I was ready to run when everything started going wrong around here. I don’t need another nail in my coffin. The truth is, I have an attorney working on it and things are starting to look a little better for me.”

“Oh yeah?” Maggie asked. “What changed?”

“Well, for one thing, my lawyer finally convinced the colonel that a little embarrassment was better than what would have happened to his grandson if I hadn’t stopped him,” Zeke said.

They drove in behind her house and Zeke let her out but refused her offer to let him take her car over to the parking lot where he intended to visit Flo at her food truck.

Maggie let herself back in her house and called Ruby. She relayed the events of the past couple of hours and waited for her friend’s reaction.

“The first question I have is, are you okay?” Ruby asked.

“Yeah,” Maggie said. “I am now. At least I think I am.”

“I don’t understand how this happened,” Ruby said. “But I guess it’s like Zeke told you, wait and talk to Brett more about it.”

Maggie felt her stomach drop again. She wanted to speak with Brett right away, but she also wanted to put it off as long as she could. She had one more phone call to make before she reached out to him.

After she hung up with Ruby, she called Bradley. She needed to let him know that she was alright, and she wanted to talk to him about Zeke.

“I heard about what happened,” he told her when she called.

“Did Zeke reach out to you?” Maggie asked her son.

“Yes, he did,” Bradley said. “He told me about how he had gone to see Brett about what happened to the man in the alley.”

“He told me about that, too,” Maggie said. “I’m really glad that he chose to do that.”

“It sounds like you had something to do with that,” Bradley said. “Zeke told me that it was you who changed his mind about running away from all of this.”

“That does make me happy,” Maggie said. “I remembered what you had said about not knowing whether he was a good man or not, after all. I figured your initial instincts were right in the first place.”

“Maybe that’s why you didn’t panic when he surprised you at the food truck,” he said. “Maybe that’s why you said and did what you did.”

“What happens now?” she asked, pushing her thoughts aside for the time being. “To Zeke, I mean. He told me he is in the process of working things out with the Navy.”

“That’s what he shared with me, too,” Bradley said.

Maggie tried to think about the questions she wanted to ask her son, but she didn’t want to push him. She also didn’t want to meddle in his business too far, that was a promise she had made herself when he took over the Hunter Springs donut shop. He was young, but he was an adult. She was determined not to be one of those mothers, overbearing and meddling.

“What will he do now?” she asked lightly. She posed the question as close to her real question as she could. What she really wanted to ask him was whether or not his mind had changed about his Navy friend.

“I hope he decides to stay here,” Bradley said. “He is moving his home to my driveway for the time being. He lives in a pretty nifty camper and can go anywhere, but I talked him into parking it at my house until he finds a more permanent solution.”

“So, he will resume his job at the donut shop?” Maggie asked.

“I think that’s what he plans to do, and I hope that he does,” Bradley said with a slight laugh. “I have decided to hire three more people and I could use a right hand to help me sort everything out.”

“Three more guys? That’s a full crew,” Maggie said.

“Which is why I really wanted him to take over as the manager,” Bradley said. “I suppose I should have run that by you and Ruby. Well, I think Ruby is clued in already.”

“You don’t have to run anything by me,” Maggie said. “Not like that, anyway. You know what we have allotted for salaries, and you know well enough at this point what is needed at different times of the day.”

“Jake told me that he wants to go part-time so he can start classes at the community college here in town,” Bradley continued. “I don’t want all three to be full-time, but I will leave that part to Zeke. He’s really good at figuring out personnel matters.”

“I’m glad,” Maggie said. “I’m glad that things worked out. I think he will make a really good addition to the staff.”

“I think he likes it around here, too,” Bradley said. “Especially the food truck in the donut shop parking lot in Dogwood Mountain.”

Maggie laughed and hung up her phone. She walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. She sat down on the couch and closed her eyes. There was so much to think about. She wanted to get back to her normal routine but going to the donut shop was almost a moot point. It was too close to closing time and Naomi was too good at what she did there for there to be a need for her to check in on things.

She needed to think through the events of the afternoon. Really, she had a lot to process about the last few days, if she was honest with herself. She had managed to alienate Brett in a way she never thought about before, and she felt worse than she ever thought she would be about it, too.

Bradley’s words rang in her mind. She might have been consumed with the idea that her son was right in the first place, that Zeke Soren was not a bad man. Perhaps that was why she had been distracted enough about the surprise visit from him that she didn’t think about contacting Brett right away.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Maggie resorted to a hot shower to clear her head. She planned to head to bed extra early. Her entire body felt weighted down by exhaustion and she climbed into her bed under the covers to fall asleep.

When she woke to the alarm early the next morning, she felt renewed and calm. In one way, she felt that whatever had happened over the past few days would stay there, in the past.

Ruby’s truck was already in the alley behind the donut shop when she got to work. Maggie unlocked the door and stepped inside. She could already smell the familiar aroma of rising yeast and vanilla.

“Good morning,” she sang out when she entered. “Ruby?”

“In here,” Ruby called out from the cooler. She stepped through the door and allowed it to come to a close behind her. “I decided after we did all of the rearranging in Hunter Springs that this place could use a little spring cleaning and rearranging, as well.”

“I’m glad you are able to handle those things,” Maggie said. “It is a huge relief to me.”

They worked through the morning as they had so many times in recent years. Ruby prepared the boxed lunches while Maggie began the donut processes. She increased the production of glazed donuts to supply the numbers of day-old donuts necessary for the new French toast donuts. To the public, planning to use older donuts might seem deceptive or plain out and out wrong, but Ruby had explained that the day-old variety would be just dry enough to hang onto the custard required for the frying pan.

Maggie decided to take her first break around ten. Ruby prepared a fresh French toast donut for her while Maggie prepared her own latte. She experimented with brown sugar and cinnamon syrup. The result was a creamy, rich taste that might become her new favorite.

She settled into the booth on the far side of the counter with her back to the front windows, deciding to face away from the people coming and going. It wasn’t that she intended to be rude, she was just in the mood to be alone.

Maggie swirled a bite of her French toast donut around in the syrup on her plate. She planned to eat leisurely in no hurry to return to the kitchen. Josie and Myra were busy in the back. Naomi and Orson had command of the front. She had time for a break, and she intended to take it.

“Where can I get one of those?” a voice called behind her. “That looks good.”

“You can share mine,” Maggie said. She looked up and smiled easily at Brett. Her heart flipped in her chest. She was a little surprised that their reunion would be so easy. Maybe it was the words Ruby had spoken to her about him.

“That is a tempting offer,” Brett said. He accepted the bite on the end of her fork. “But after the past few hours, I think I need a plate of my own. But oh, that is so good.”

Maggie took back her fork and raised her eyes to the counter. She caught Orson’s attention and waved him over.

“I already know,” Orson muttered. “One French toast plate and one cinnamon latte for the distinguished sheriff.”

“Thank you, Orson,” Brett sang out.

“Yeah, just remember that the next time one of your deputies clocks me at ten over out on the highway,” Orson said. He grinned and turned to the kitchen.

“What has happened over the past few hours?” Maggie asked.

Brett sighed dramatically and ran his fingers through his hair. “I have not been home aside from an hour to nap and a shower,” he said. “I spent most of the night going between interviews with Sanchez and Madsen, and then to the cell of Chuck Wentz.”

“What did you find out?” Maggie asked.

“Oh, a whole lot, you could say,” Brett said. He made room for the plate Orson set in front of him. “Thanks, buddy.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Orson said in return. “Maybe you could thank me by switching from that skunk beer you like to bring along to bonfires at Ruby’s house. Maybe you could bring a case of Guinness next time.”

“You know, I’ve been thinking about switching to a good Irish brew,” Brett said. His words elicited a rare grin from Orson, who returned quickly to the counter.

“I have one question,” Maggie dared to say.

“What’s that?” Brett asked.

“The robbery at the gas station,” she said. “Was that just a random coincidence? I mean, the fact that I wound up there and they attacked me?”

Brett took a huge bite of his breakfast and nodded his head emphatically. “What happened yesterday was a coincidence. They had something set up with the attendant, robbing people, mainly women alone, when they pulled off the highway to fill up,” he said. “But there is another coincidental part to all of it.”

“I’m lost,” Maggie said. “What do you mean?”

“The very fact that they showed up at the Hunter Springs store that night was a mistake in the first place,” he said. “Apparently another idiot at the gas station off the highway told them to show up at ‘the filling station’ one night. And the Fab Four thought he meant the old filling station in downtown Hunter Springs.”

“Which is where we opened the new donut shop,” Maggie said. “So, the fact that they even crossed our paths was a mistake in the first place.”

“Right, and the four of them were up to no good there, of course,” he said. “When they saw us, they decided to try and rob us so they wouldn’t go away empty handed.”

“Zeke said you had figured out that it was Chuck who killed David Finney,” Maggie said. She winced for a moment. She had mentioned Zeke’s name before she meant to.

But Brett simply nodded. “Rocco Sanchez was released on bail. When he left the jail, we doubled down on Madsen and pulled a lot of information from him.”

“Do you know why they killed Finney?” Maggie asked. “If they were a crime ring that many years ago.”

“I think you and Ruby came really close to understanding that,” he said. “One, Finney did start seeing things a little bit differently when he sobered up.”

Maggie nodded her head. “That’s what we thought,” she said.

“Second, the night he died, there was an argument among them, mostly about getting the location of the gas station wrong,” Brett continued. “It was David who pointed out the error, and Wentz who had made the mistake in the first place.”

“So, Chuck was the one who misunderstood,” Maggie said.

Brett nodded. “That’s exactly right,” he said. “They got into a fight and Chuck flew into a rage and beat Finney up so much that he succumbed to his injuries. When they knew things had gone too far, they split up and ran.”

“And Wentz was the only one who had eluded capture,” Maggie said.

“Exactly,” Brett said. “And now we have Wentz booked and charged with murder, among several other charges. And the other two have been charged with a page of other things. None of them is likely to ever see the light of day again.”

Maggie nodded her head. “I suppose that’s a good thing,” Maggie said. “I’m just sorry how everything else worked out.”

Brett’s eyes were focused on the table. He nodded his head wordlessly for a moment. Maggie felt a surge of panic in her middle. She wondered if the next part of the conversation would be the suggestion to cool things down between them, or to return to just being friends.

“Maggie,” Brett said softly. “This is not the time or the place I wanted to do this, but I wanted to ask you…”

“Why don’t we wait, then?” Maggie jumped in suddenly. She was shocked at her own interruption, but something told her that this wasn’t where she wanted to hear the words she was sure he was about to say. What if he was going to suggest they move in together, or even get married? She wasn’t ready for that. Not now, not yet.

Brett raised his eyes and smiled. He appeared relieved and sighed. “Okay, Maggie,” he said quietly. “We will table this conversation for a little while. But not for long, because what I have to say is important. More important than you know.”

ALSO BY EMMA AINSLEY

Check out all the books in Emma Ainsley’s catalog!

Emma Ainsley Book Catalog

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my books, the storylines, and anything else that you’d like to comment on—reader feedback is very important to me. My contact information, along with some other helpful links, is listed on the next page. If you’d like to be on my list of “folks to contact” with updates, release and sales notifications, etc.… just shoot me an email and let me know. Thanks for reading!

Also…

… if you’re looking for more great reads, Summer Prescott Books publishes several popular series by outstanding Cozy Mystery authors.

CONTACT SUMMER PRESCOTT BOOKS PUBLISHING

Blog and Book Catalog: http://summerprescottbooks.com

Email: summer.prescott.cozies@gmail.com

And…be sure to check out the Summer Prescott Cozy Mysteries fan page and Summer Prescott Books Publishing Page on Facebook – let’s be friends!

To sign up for our fun and exciting newsletter, which will give you opportunities to win prizes and swag, enter contests, and be the first to know about New Releases, click here: http://summerprescottbooks.com