Page 37 of Pumpkin Patch Peril
“We’re making progress,” Mona said carefully. “We’ve eliminated several suspects?—”
“Eliminated?” Brenda’s voice cracked. “I don’t need suspects eliminated, I need my pumpkin found! Do you realize what thisis going to do to my standing in the community? I’ve been bragging about this entry for months!”
After Brenda hung up, the room fell into uncomfortable silence.
“One more day,” Ruth said quietly. “Thirty-six hours.”
“We’ve failed her,” Helen said, looking around at their evidence-covered dining table. “All this investigation, and we’re no closer to finding that pumpkin than when we started.”
After Doris left, the four ladies sat in contemplative silence, processing the unexpected resolution to their stalker mystery.
“Well,” Ruth said finally, “that was convenient.”
“Too convenient?” Helen asked, her journalist instincts kicking in.
Mona looked up from gathering their evidence. “You don’t believe her?”
“I want to believe her,” Helen said carefully. “But think about it—she shows up right after we’re discussing having no suspects left, provides a perfect explanation for her suspicious behavior, and conveniently eliminates herself from consideration.”
“Plus,” Ruth added, “she could be lying about the Blue Hubbard. Maybe she doesn’t have one. Maybe she made up the whole story after stealing Brenda’s pumpkin.”
Ida looked up from her calculations with interest. “That’s actually statistically possible. Guilty parties often volunteer information to appear helpful while misdirecting investigations.”
“But how would she move a five hundred and twenty pound pumpkin?” Mona asked. “She’s not exactly built for heavy lifting.”
“She probably knows someone with a tractor. Half the county has them,” Helen pointed out.
Ruth was already pulling out her iPad. “What if her car got damaged trying to transport something that size? Thatwould explain why she needed to borrow another vehicle for surveillance.”
“Or,” Ida said thoughtfully, “maybe she had help. Accomplices we don’t know about.”
Mona studied their evidence spread across the table. “So do we believe her story about the Blue Hubbard revenge plan, or do we think she’s a very clever thief trying to throw us off her trail?”
“Both scenarios are plausible,” Ruth admitted. “Though I have to say, the Blue Hubbard explanation felt genuine. Her passion for traditional baking methods seemed real.”
“Criminals can be passionate about their cover stories,” Helen pointed out.
“True,” Mona said. “But if she is lying, and she’s not the thief, that leaves us with...”
“Laura Jenkins,” Ida finished. “Our last remaining suspect.”
“The scarecrow-armed environmental activist,” Ruth said skeptically. “She seems even less capable of pumpkin theft than Doris.”
“Unless she had help too,” Helen suggested. “Environmental groups can be surprisingly organized when they’re motivated.”
“True. And she does have that charm bracelet,” Mona added. “Maybe she has access to machinery through her bee conservation work.”
Ida was already making notes. “We need to investigate Laura Jenkins more thoroughly. Interview her directly instead of just observing from a distance.”
“Assuming Doris is telling the truth,” Ruth said. “If she’s not, we’re wasting time chasing the wrong suspect while the real thief—possibly Doris herself—gets away with it.”
“So what’s our next move?” Helen asked.
Mona looked around at her friends with determination. “We approach Laura Jenkins, but we keep Doris on our radar. If herstory about the Blue Hubbard doesn’t check out, we’ll know she’s playing us.”
“And if Laura Jenkins seems innocent too?” Ruth asked.
“Then we’re back to square one with a much bigger mystery than we thought,” Mona said grimly. “But at least we’ll know we’ve eliminated our obvious suspects through proper investigation.”
