A Doomful of Sugar by Catherine Bruns

Author:Catherine Bruns
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2022-08-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Heather asked on the way to my mother’s. “What did the police say?”

“Chief Crosby took some pictures and filled out a report. He said it’s unlikely they’ll find out who did this. My car was out of range of the security camera, so it’s possible someone might know the setup of the farm.” Meaning of course that it might be the same person who had killed my father. The thought made me physically ill.

Heather must have guessed my thoughts. “This is a warning, Leila. Someone doesn’t want you checking into your father’s murder.”

“We don’t know that for sure.” But she had to be right. Why else would someone have done this? Sugar Ridge had a low crime rate. People came and went from Sappy Endings all day. Someone had been watching the place and waiting for the right moment to do this when they wouldn’t be seen. Goose bumps dotted my arms. The vandal had to be someone who knew the place well—like an employee.

It had started to rain, and Heather turned the wipers on. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“And what’s that?”

She shot me a meaningful look. “You’re having second thoughts about Noah being the one who killed your father. It’s because of the little girl, isn’t it?”

I didn’t answer.

“You’re a big softy when it comes to kids, Leila.”

“All right. Maybe,” I conceded, “but I still can’t give him the benefit of the doubt. He knows Sappy Endings inside and out. The only other person who even has a motive is Wesley Browning.”

“There is another person that you’re forgetting.” Heather’s voice shook slightly.

My jaw dropped in amazement. “Heather, you know that Simon didn’t do this. He’s my brother, for crying out loud!”

Heather turned her vehicle onto my street. “Come on, Lei. You know me better than that.” She parked her vehicle in the driveway behind my mother’s car and turned to me, her expression grave. “But there is another employee you’re not considering.”

“Jessica?” I laughed out loud. “Why would Jessica have killed my father? They got along great.”

Heather bit into her lower lip and didn’t answer.

Uneasiness settled in my stomach. There was something that Heather hadn’t told me. “Okay, spill it.”

She swallowed nervously. “It’s—nothing.”

“We’re not going inside until you tell me what it is,” I said sternly.

Heather twisted her hands in her lap. “A couple of months ago, I went into Sappy Endings for a latte. It was early morning, and no one else was there except for your father and Jessica.”

A light switch clicked on in my brain. I had an idea of where this conversation was headed, and desperately wanted a detour. “Go on,” I said quietly.

Her mouth trembled. “Your father was behind the café’s counter with Jessica. They had their backs to me and didn’t see me come in. I caught part of their conversation. Jessica had a hand on your father’s arm and was giggling like a teenager. She said something like, ‘I hope Selma knows how lucky she is.’”

Bile rose in the back of my throat.

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