A Zest for Murder (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 5) (5 page)

CHAPTER
12

My fingers trembled as I punched
Trent’s number into my phone. When the call connected and I heard the scratchy
recording he’d made years earlier, I hung up and dialed 911.

“Police Dispatch,” a woman said.
“What’s the exact location of your emergency?”

“This is Kate Reed,” I told her. “I
need to reach Deputy Chief Walsh right away! It’s about Tipper Hedge.”

“Yes, Miss Reed. This is Sergeant
Oliver.”

“Can you please get Trent on his
walkie-talkie?” The words flew from my mouth even as my throat tightened with
fear. “Tipper’s been kidnapped. She just called me from…” The voice in my head
uttered the obvious question:
Where?
“Uh, she just called and I need to
talk with Trent as soon as possible!”

“This is about the incident on
Hanover, right?”

“Please! Will you get Trent to call
me? One woman’s already dead. I don’t want—”

“Stay calm, ma’am. I’m going to
place you on hold while I try to reach Deputy Chief Walsh.”

Each second felt like infinity as I
clutched the phone and sat on the edge of my bed. I was concentrating so
intently on the call that I didn’t hear my sister until she was standing in
front of me.

“Katie?” She had the quilt wrapped
around her shoulders. “Is everything okay?”

I shook my head. “That was Tipper,”
I answered. “She just called me!”

Her mouth dropped open as she sat
beside me. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. But she didn’t know where
they were.”

“They?”

“She’s been
kidnapped
, Liv!
She was talking about the man that took her, so—”

My sister turned slightly and put
one hand on my arm. “Calm down, Katie. I didn’t…I wasn’t exactly following. I
was sound asleep and…I heard you talking. It sounded bad, so I…”

She took a deep breath, squeezing
my arm like she did when we were kids and I was upset. Back then, it was about
a boy. Or something in school. Now, it was my friend being plunged into a
horrifying nightmare.

“Sorry,” I said after we sat
quietly for a moment or two. “It was her voice, you know? Tipper’s voice? She
sounded so—”

The emergency operator came back on
the line. “Miss Reed?”

“Did you find him?”

“Yes, he’ll be calling you any
second.”

“Okay, thank you so much,
sergeant.”

“You’re welcome,” the woman said.
“And I’m sorry to hear about your friend, ma’am.”

Before I could reply, the line
beeped with the incoming call signal. I quickly thanked the operator again
before toggling over to Trent.

“She called you?” he asked gruffly.

“Yes. I didn’t recognize the name
or number, but Tipper said she found a phone in the trunk.”

“Of her car?”

“I don’t know about that,” I said.
“I was so surprised by the call that I didn’t ask if it was her car or not.
Although she did say something about a car like the one she drives—”

“Okay, Katie.” Trent sounded
authoritative and poised. “Can you text the number to me?”

“Sure. It was Tania something,
and—”

“Okay, but first,” he interrupted,
“tell me everything that Tipper shared with you.”

I paused to replay the brief
conversation in my mind. Then I relayed it to Trent with as much detail as
possible. I told him that Tipper thought they’d been driving around town since
leaving her house. I told him about the church bells and children’s voices. And
then I told him about the dog.

“Dog?” he mumbled. “Tipper has a
dog?”

“No, she said that the guy who
abducted her came to the door with—” As I answered Trent’s question, I suddenly
remembered the man in the snowmobile suit and sunglasses that I’d talked with
after arriving at Tipper’s earlier in the day. “Oh, my…Trent! I think I spoke
to the guy!”

“Whoa, Katie. Slow down and back it
up. Tipper said something about a dog?”

“Yes, she said someone came to her
door with a dog. And when I got there, like, I guess maybe
after
she’d
already been put in the car, a guy walking a little white dog came across
Tipper’s yard. He was wearing sunglasses, a knit cap and a snowmobile suit. I
didn’t think much about it at the time because he seemed so…normal. And he was
totally convincing. He told me that he was a neighbor and his wife had tried to
return something to Tipper. But she wasn’t home.”

“Who wasn’t home—Tipper?”

“Right,” I said. “And if it
is
the same guy, he was obviously trying to get me to leave.”

Trent didn’t say anything, so I
waited and looked at my sister. She was crouched on the edge of the bed,
huddled in the quilt and biting her lower lip.

“Okay, so…anything else?” asked
Trent.

“About the call?”

He groaned. “What else would I be
asking about?”

“Sorry, yeah. I’m pretty freaked
out right now, Trent. Maybe you could cut me some slack.”

“You’re freaked out? How about
Tipper?”

The barb cut deep; the emotional
ambush of her call had caused me to briefly lose focus. I thanked Trent for
helping me get back on track. Then I remembered Tipper’s comments about driving
into a garage. When I shared that final bit of information, Trent grumbled
under his breath.

“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down,”
he said. “But it’s something to work with.”

“What can I do to help?” I asked.

“Send me that name and number,” he
answered. “And call me back if you hear from her again.”

CHAPTER
13

The next morning at five-thirty,
while my bleary-eyed sister was upstairs in the apartment preparing for her
drive to Salt Lake City, I stumbled into the Sky High kitchen. I’d hit the
snooze button three times, so I was running a little behind schedule. Luckily,
Julia, the most punctual person I’ve ever met, was already in her apron and
hard at work. She had the mixer humming and The Eagles playing on the ancient
Boombox we kept on a shelf by the walk-in.

“Morning, sunshine!” Her usual
cheerful expression dimmed when she saw my face. “Are you…okay?”

I managed a feeble shrug. “Mind if
I turn that down a little?”

She hurried across the room and
clicked off
Witchy Woman
just before sparks flew from her fingertips.
“Sorry, Katie! I watched part of a documentary about them last night on
Netflix. It really put me in the mood to hear some of the old classics.”

“You didn’t have to turn it all the
way off, Jules. I was just—”

“Hush, now,” she said in her
soothing Mama Bear voice. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later. Tell me
how you’re doing.”

I staggered over, pulled down a mug
and filled it from the pot. “I’m okay. I mean, I’m going crazy with worry. And
I didn’t sleep. But I’m…I’ll be better when Tipper’s safe.”

“Oh, my word!” she gushed
anxiously. “I just couldn’t believe it when I got your text. What’s the
latest?”

I sighed and plopped down on a
stool. “She called me,” I said, warming my hands with the hot mug. “Last night
around ten-thirty.”

“Wait!” Julia’s face went pale. “
What
?”

“Tipper. I couldn’t believe it
myself, but she—”

“
Tipper
?” Her voice cracked
and her eyes widened. “She
called
you?”

“Yes. From a phone that she found
in the trunk of the car that the kidnappers put her in.”

Julia’s expression changed from a
look of surprise to one of confusion.

“I know it’s wild,” I added
quickly. “But I guess that whoever kidnapped her yesterday put her in the trunk
of a car. And when she was in there, she found a briefcase that had a phone in
it. So she called me and we talked for…hmmm, less than five minutes. She was
terrified, Jules. Just
absolutely
terrified.”

Julia left the mixer and walked
over to where I was sitting. She pulled out a stool and sat down.

“I can’t even believe this is
happening,” she said. “What’s Trent told you?”

“Not much yet. I talked to him last
night, after Tipper called me. And I’ll check with him a little later this
morning.”

“Is it true that…” She cleared her
throat and put one hand on her heart. “Did you really find a dead woman in
Tipper’s kitchen?”

I nodded. “She’d been shot. And I
thought it was Tipper. I mean, I did at first. But once I got a clear look at
her face…” I shuddered at the memory. “Well, I don’t know who she is. But she
didn’t make it.”

Julia gasped. “Oh, no…” She shook
her head and made the sign of the cross. “I’m so sorry to hear that. What on
earth do you think was going on over there?”

“I have no idea. Zack and I drove
by the night before, just to check on her when she didn’t show up at Blanche’s.
There was an old pickup in the driveway. I guess that might’ve belonged to whoever
who took Tipper.”

Julia processed the news as she
drank some coffee. Then she said, “Is there anything we can do?”

“Say a prayer,” I answered in a
hushed tone. “The first few hours are the most critical.” My gaze lifted to the
clock on the far wall. “And it’s already been more than twelve.”

“But if…well, if she called you,”
Julia said with a hopeful tone. “Then maybe…”

Our eyes locked; we both knew that
staying optimistic was our only choice.

“Maybe Trent and his people will
find her this morning,” she continued. “Or maybe this guy…the one that took
her…maybe he’ll realize that he’s only digging his grave by keeping Tipper
captive.”

Before the mood could grow any
darker, Olivia came bouncing through the door. Her wet hair was pulled back and
her face was bare.

“No makeup?” I asked.

She scowled. “Katie! I’m going to
be alone in the car for the next nine or ten hours. Why do I need makeup?”

“What if you have to stop
somewhere?”

She ignored my question and
gestured at the coffee pot. “Can I fill my Thermos with that?”

“Absolutely,” Julia said
cheerfully. “Let me do it for you.” She got up from the stool, dashed over to
Liv and took the bright blue container. “Do you want something to nibble on,
too?”

“I’ve got licorice,” Olivia
answered. “And some of the fruit rolly things that the boys like.”

“Why didn’t you fly?” I asked.
“What if the weather gets bad?”

Olivia dropped her purse on the
counter. “I needed some alone time,” she said. “Once I get to the conference,
it’s going to be nonstop, wall-to-wall chatter and meetings and socializing.
Between the past few days in the office and the twins fighting all the time, I
decided to risk the weather and drive.”

“The forecast is actually pretty
good,” Julia volunteered. “No snow, decent temperature and plenty of sunshine.”

My sister grinned. “Wouldn’t it be
nice if every day was like that?”

“Dream on,” I muttered. “The real
world doesn’t operate that way.”

“Thanks for the reminder, Debbie
Downer,” she said with a wink.

The attempt at humor had missed its
mark, but I didn’t want to take out my jumbled emotions on my sister. After we
talked the previous night, I knew we were both equally concerned about Tipper’s
safety. But my sister hadn’t discovered the gunshot victim on the floor. She
didn’t see Tipper on a weekly basis like I did. And I knew she was only trying
to help lighten my mood before she left.

“I can’t do that witty banter thing
right now,” I said after an uncomfortable silence. “I know you’ll understand.”

Olivia nodded, directing her eyes
to a spot on the wall behind me. “Yeah, I’m sorry, Katie. That wasn’t very…I
mean, I wasn’t trying to be insensitive.”

“I know that, sweetie. I just need
to stay focused on work this morning and hope that Trent calls with good news
sooner rather than later.”

CHAPTER
14

The wait was brief. Around
nine-thirty, while Julia deftly handled the steady flow of breakfast tickets, I
was frosting four dozen Cocoa Loco Cupcakes for Darby Franklin’s daughter’s
birthday party. When she placed the order, Darby had explained that her mother
used to do the same thing whenever she or her siblings celebrated their annual
milestone. “Your grandmother made cupcakes for my two oldest brothers,” she’d
explained. “And your mom did the same thing for me and my sister.”

I smiled at the sweet family
tradition as I put the finishing touches on the last twelve cupcakes. Then I
assembled two large paperboard boxes and began loading them with the treats
when Harper rushed into the kitchen from the dining room.

“Trent’s out front,” she said.
“He’d like a word if you’re not too busy.”

Julia looked up from the eggs she
was scrambling. “Tell him that I’m
way
too busy,” she joked.

Harper plopped one hand on her hip.
“Not you, Jules. I was talking to—”

“I know who you meant!” Julia
chirped. “I was just trying to make Katie smile.”

I replied with a weak grin before
asking Harper to tell Trent that I’d be right out. It wasn’t unusual for him to
stop by and pick up something sweet after lunch, but the mid-morning visit
suggested he wanted to talk about Tipper.

“Before you ask,” Trent said when I
approached his table a moment later, “we haven’t found her. But I did get some
news about the phone she used.”

I pulled out the chair across from
Trent and slowly lowered myself into it. My back was howling and my thighs were
tight as a drum. Spending twelve hours a day on my feet without resting for a
few minutes was beginning to take its toll.

“Tania whatever?”

“Sturges,” said Trent. “She’s a
school teacher in Las Cruces. Shortly before ten o’clock last Monday night,
while she filled her Subaru at a place called…” He stopped and looked down at
his notes. “…Chucky’s on Madrid Avenue, Miss Sturges was accosted by a man
wearing mirrored aviator shades, a black knit cap and a dark snowmobile suit.”

My heart slowed in my chest before
the beat suddenly accelerated. “I knew it! The guy I told you about
yesterday—the one walking a dog when I got to Tipper’s. Remember? I told you he
was wearing a—”

“Hold up there,” Trent said. “I do
remember, yes. Absolutely. And you’re right—it sounds like the same guy.”

“Did the Las Cruces PD get security
video from the gas station?”

“Nothing worthwhile, according to
the detective I talked with. Apparently, the guy was pretty careful about
keeping his back to the two cameras on the exterior.”

“And let me guess,” I said. “He
never went inside and they didn’t see his vehicle.”

Trent smiled, raising one hand and
tilting it back and forth. “Some yes,” he said. “And some no. The snowmobile
suit guy never went inside Chucky’s, but they did catch him pulling up in an
old Ford F-150.”

“Sounds familiar,” I said.

“
Is
familiar,” Trent agreed.
“The license plates match, so it’s the same truck we found in Tipper’s garage
along with Kyle Gallagher’s Jeep.”

I kept my eyes on Trent as he
slowly and methodically walked me through everything he’d learned from the Las
Cruces Police Department. He explained that the suspect who robbed Tania
Sturges had an accomplice, a female with long dark hair who waited in the
pickup truck during the robbery at the gas station. The couple had also been
caught on bank ATM cameras immediately before two other similar robberies later
that same night.

“And that’s it,” Trent said after
about ten minutes of exposition. “They’ve got the guy on video robbing a couple
of people and driving away in a Ford truck. And we found the exact same vehicle
in Tipper Hedge’s garage after you discovered the woman on the kitchen floor
with the GSW.”

“She could be the accomplice,” I
said.

Trent nodded. “High degree of
likelihood. But none of that is enough to bring Tipper home safely.”

“Did the neighbors have anything
helpful?”

“Who—Tipper’s?”

“Yeah. Have you canvassed the area
already?”

“Dina’s talked to the people on
both sides of Tipper’s place,” Trent answered. “I’m guessing she’ll be back out
there today at some point.”

I leaned forward in my chair. “Do
you want me to help?”

He smiled. “Nah, but thanks, Katie.
We can handle it.”

“I don’t mind. I feel so useless
here. I’d like to do something to help my friend.”

Trent reached across the table and
patted my arm. “I know how you are, Katie. But we’ve got this. If you hear
anything, of course, I’ll appreciate a call.”

“Always. I can still hear her in my
head, you know. The sound of her voice last night, the way I could tell she was
fighting not to just break down and cry.”

“She’s a strong woman. I just hope
that Mr. Snowmobile Suit keeps his cool long enough for us to find them both.”