Fireworks and Felonies Read online

  “Honestly, I didn’t know him that well. But he was very good to my uncle. And to my whole family. He always kept us informed, and I know that we had as long as we did with my uncle because of Dr. Statler’s care.” She let out a sad sigh. “All these memories are running through my head now. He used to make jokes about how there couldn’t be any apples in the room because they would make him, as a doctor, stay away. He did like to talk about fireworks, though I didn’t know that he tried to build them. And he didn’t have great eyesight. He had two pairs of glasses that he would switch between. They were different shapes. It was another joke of his. He said he would use his square glasses for when he needed help with his short-sightedness. Then, he would clarify that they were for reading. He would use the rectangle glasses for long distance. He said rectangle was a longer word and was for the long distance. That’s how he told the glasses apart.”

  “He sounds like a good man,” Daniel said.

  “He was,” Lydia agreed.

  Sunny stopped chewing on her bone and moved closer to Lydia. She could sense that she was upset and wanted to cheer her up. Lydia rubbed the dog’s ears.

  “Thanks, Sunny,” she said. Then, her eyes widened as she realized something else. “I was so focused on Dr. Statler’s death that I didn’t realize the significance of what else Leo said. He said the fire was at Cora’s Coral Condos. That’s where Mona lives. I don’t know if her home was saved!”

  3

  Cora’s Coral Condos

  Lydia called Mona and told her the information that she knew so far: that the complex that Mona was living in was where the fire had occurred, but that she didn’t know which units had been affected. Mona was understandably upset by this news of the fire and Dr. Statler’s death.

  “That doctor seemed like a nice guy. He was one of my neighbors. He asked to borrow a wrench before, but I didn’t have one. I was still moving in,” Mona said over the phone. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to face seeing my place. I know I said that my things were replaceable, but what will I do if my home really did burn up?”

  “We should see what the damage is before we worry too much,” Lydia said. “But I did want to give you a heads up.”

  “I guess I should go check it out,” Mona said. “If you don’t mind me leaving work early.”

  “Under the circumstances, of course not!” said Lydia. “And you can take as much time as you need to deal with this. Everyone will understand.”

  “I appreciate that.” Mona hesitated. “But I think I’m afraid to go there alone.”

  Lydia caught Daniel’s eye as she stayed on the line, hoping he wouldn’t mind what she was about to volunteer them for.

  “We can meet you over there, and we’ll do what we can to help.”

  Daniel nodded as he heard what she said and took out his keys again. After confirming that they would head over to the condo complex shortly, Lydia hung up. She thanked Daniel for being so helpful and understanding. Then, after making sure that Sunny was still happy with her bone, she left her house to see what was left of Mona’s.

  They parked Daniel’s truck a decent distance away and started walking towards Cora’s Coral Condos. Between the reports of the smoke no longer being visible and Leo’s call, she was pretty sure that the fire had been extinguished. However, she didn’t want to park too close to where explosive fireworks had been. She also didn’t want to be in the way of the rescue vehicles.

  “That’s the reason?” Daniel teased as they walked away from the truck. “I thought you were trying to hide from your brother so he wouldn’t think you were trying to look at his crime scene.”

  “It sounds like this death was the result of tinkering with explosives. It’s not a murder that needs to be solved,” Lydia said. “And I don’t hide from Leo. Even if he hasn’t really appreciated my help with his cases.”

  “Which always resulted in catching the killer,” Daniel said proudly.

  “We’re getting along fine now,” she continued. “He doesn’t blame me for getting the money to open my taffy shop from Uncle Edgar’s will anymore because he realized that even though Uncle Edgar didn’t leave him money, he still was looking out for him. He wanted Leo to reconnect with Suzanne and start dating, and that’s just what happened. And hopefully, Leo’s good mood over his love life will stop him from jumping to the conclusion that I want to see behind the caution tape. I’m just here to help Mona.”

  As they reached the building, they saw that there was a gathering of people on the outskirts of the property. They looked like the people who lived in the building and were trying to stay at a safe distance while still keeping a close eye on the situation. Many were carrying items that seemed to hold sentimental value that they wouldn’t want to be left behind in a fire.

  Lydia didn’t know most of the residents, but she did recognize Cora, the namesake who owned the building. Lydia’s best friend, Trina, had reddish hair that looked natural. Cora had gone a different route with her red coloring. In fact, her hair was almost the coral color of the buildings. However, today, it was a little harder to tell because many of the condo walls had a layer of soot on them.

  Cora was wearing multiple necklaces and bracelets as if she had thrown on all her best jewelry when she left her home to make sure it traveled with her. She was crying into a handkerchief, and two of the residents were trying to cheer her up.

  “I just can’t believe this,” Cora cried. “The good doctor was so nice. He always made his payments on time. And he told me that the mole I had on my shoulder I had been so concerned about wasn’t deadly.”

  “Didn’t he tell you that it was dried chocolate?” an unamused woman holding an antique clock next to her asked.

  “That’s right, Maggie,” Cora said, leaning on her for support. “He told me that it wasn’t skin cancer, and I would be all right.”

  “Dr. Statler was always willing to give medical advice if you asked him, even if he wasn’t working,” the man next to Cora said sadly. “He was a stand-up guy.”

  “He was nice enough, Neil,” Maggie said. “But let’s not go turning him into a saint.”

  Cora and Neil stared at the third person in their trio. Lydia glanced at Daniel to see if he was observing this discussion as well.

  “He might as well have been,” Cora said. “Always helping people with healthy tips and diagnoses. Making people laugh with his silly jokes. Did I mention that he always paid his rent on time? Usually, he was early.”

  “But he did just destroy your building with his hobby,” Maggie said. “And we’re lucky it wasn’t worse. It might have destroyed all of our homes. It might have killed us.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Cora said. Her tears stopped as she thought about it. “I am sorry he’s gone, but look at the state of my beautiful buildings. What could he have been thinking? That was a very dangerous thing to do in a place like this. I thought he was supposed to be smart.”

  “He was smart,” said Neil. “Maybe that’s why he never thought this would happen. He thought he was smart enough to avoid it.”

  “I knew he worked on firework displays for the holidays, but I never knew that he did the work here. I assumed he had a lab or a bunker,” said Cora. “You’re right, Maggie. This damage is going to cost more than his security deposit. I liked him so much, but then he had to go and hurt me like this. I didn’t think it was in his character!”

  “Let’s not be too harsh,” Neil said, not seeming to like the way the conversation was turning. “He died because of this. That’s tragic enough. And I would rather focus on the good memories.”

  “He had his good moments. He did help me when I twisted my ankle,” Maggie admitted. “But he was always asking to borrow things. For the past four months, whenever I saw him, he wanted to borrow something. Now, he did return the nonperishable items. But it was constant from the moment he moved in. It was like he didn’t know how to care for himself after his wife kicked him out. He was always asking for food. I gave hi
m at least half of the milk I bought these past few months because he was always asking. And I gave him pasta and butter too. Neil, I saw him ask you for some tea the other day, didn’t he?”

  “He did ask for something,” Neil agreed. “I forget what.”

  “And just this morning, he asked for bread to make toast,” Maggie continued. “I guess that was the final thing I gave him.”

  “I thought it was sweet when he came and asked to borrow some sugar,” Cora said wistfully. “Though I didn’t realize that he was so bad at planning out his needed groceries. I thought he was looking for an excuse to visit me. And since I knew he was getting a divorce, I thought… oh, it doesn’t matter what I thought! He ruined my building! That can’t be made up with sweet talk, medical advice, and timely rent.”

  Lydia turned away from the conversation. It was interesting to hear what others thought of Dr. Statler, but since no crime had been committed (except perhaps by the doctor in taking unnecessary risks), there was no need to eavesdrop.

  “I don’t see Mona yet,” Daniel said.

  Lydia scanned the crowd and agreed. She didn’t see anyone else dressed in the brightly colored Doherty’s Taffy and Trinkets t-shirt that was their uniform, or the all-black with fishnet ensembles that Mona usually wore outside of work that stood out against the usually beachy outfits of the others in town.

  However, Lydia did see someone else who caught her attention there. Brie Rankin had a tablet out, and it was clear that the reporter was taking notes on it. Brie was usually more subtle than Amber with her displeasure, but Lydia still didn’t want to take the chance that she would cause a scene in front of the people who might have just lost their homes.

  She moved to the side, so she was out of Brie’s eyesight, and Daniel followed. They listened to some of the other residents discuss what they overheard the firefighters say about the fireworks and waited for Mona.

  Mona finally joined them, looking nervous. Lydia gave her a hug and told her that she was sure they would find out more information shortly.

  It turned out she was right. A few moments after she said that, Leo and his partner, Detective Grey, addressed the crowd.

  “Thank you all for your cooperation,” Leo said. “The Ocean Point firefighters have done an admirable job containing and extinguishing the fire. Right now it looks like this was the result of amateur firework making inside the home.”

  “We would like to remind everyone of the dangers of this and hope that no one else in town will attempt to follow suit,” the serious Detective Grey warned.

  “There has been one casualty here,” Leo said. “I suspect some of you figured out who it was, but we ask that you don’t spread this information around until we have confirmation that the man’s family has been informed.”

  “The main damage from the fire seems to have been contained to the one unit. The firefighters have just finished their examination of the building’s structural support, and it appears stable,” Detective Grey said.

  The crowd cheered, and Lydia squeezed Mona’s hand. Mona let out a sigh of relief.

  Cora yelled, “Thank goodness!”

  Detective Grey held up a hand to quiet them. “There were fire safety measures in the building that minimized the spread of the flames by having sprinklers turn on. Unfortunately, this water might have caused some different damage within the homes.”

  Mona’s relief soon turned back to uneasiness. Lydia wasn’t feeling very good about this news either.

  “Everyone just hold tight for a few more minutes, and we’ll allow you back into your homes to ascertain the damage,” Leo said. “Obviously the one condo where this occurred will be off-limits for the foreseeable future.”

  The crowd started buzzing as the detectives finished their speech. Cora was crying again. Mona looked worried.

  Leo was about to head back to the scene of the blast when he spotted Lydia. He frowned with annoyance and started walking towards her. Lydia considered whether she should have taken Daniel’s joke seriously and hid.

  4

  Condo Clue

  Detective Grey followed Leo over to where Lydia was standing. They both looked displeased.

  “Lydia, I told you about who died as a courtesy because we knew him,” Leo said. “I also thought it would stop you from coming over here and getting underfoot.”

  “I’m not trying to get in your way,” Lydia protested. “I’ll admit I know very little about fireworks and explosives. I’ll let you and the firefighters figure out what happened. I’m just here to help Mona.”

  The two detectives looked at the downcast Mona next to her. She gave a tiny wave to acknowledge them.

  “She lives here,” Lydia said. “And she was worried about her home.”

  “I kinda asked Lydia to come,” Mona said. “I’m still new here. The only people I really know and trust are at the taffy shop. And I was afraid to face what might be here alone.”

  “Well, in that case,” Leo said, somewhat awkwardly. “Then, I guess it’s fine that you’re here.”

  “And I only told Daniel who it was who died,” said Lydia. “He was there when I got the call, and I was upset. Though from what we overheard, the neighbors realize who it is.”

  “It’s very sad business,” Leo said, sounding friendlier to make up for his opening comments. “I had been so excited about the holiday. Suzanne and I made plans to watch the fireworks and have a picnic on the sand. I hope I don’t have images of this awful scene and how fireworks went wrong in my head when we’re having our romantic evening.”

  “It was that bad?” Lydia asked, biting her lip.

  “I imagine it was over pretty quickly,” Leo said. “But it wasn’t a pleasant sight to see. I’m glad you didn’t have to see him like that. If it wasn’t for those distinctive rectangle glasses he had on under some goggles, I wouldn’t have recognized him.”

  “Gruesome,” Mona muttered.

  “It was,” Leo agreed. “And I hope that convinces you to stay away from this scene.”

  “We’re just here to help Mona,” Daniel reiterated. “Her home might need repair or cleaning.”

  Leo looked back towards the building where a firefighter was waving to him.

  “It looks like the building is declared safe now. You’ll be able to go to Mona’s place now,” Leo said. “I hope it’s not too bad.”

  “Me too,” said Mona.

  “Thank you,” Daniel said, as Lydia remained quiet. “And I hope your 4th of July plans aren’t ruined.”

  Leo nodded and then a foolish grin crept onto his face. “It probably won’t be. Suzanne seems to make everything better.”

  “You don’t think there’s anything odd here?” Lydia said, speaking up and asking the detectives.

  Detective Grey chose to interpret this as related to his partner’s dating life. “I’ve seen Detective Doherty date others before, but I haven’t seen him as lovesick as this ever. He has seemed a little different lately. But I wouldn’t call it odd. I would say it’s pleasant. If I am ever lucky enough to fall in love, I hope it will have a similar hopeful effect on me. However, I have been told that I am boring on dates. And in everyday life too... But I suppose that’s enough chitchat to reassure you all that there is still normalcy in the world despite this tragedy. I’m going to talk to the firefighters.”

  “I’ll be right there,” Leo said as Detective Grey walked off. He eyed Lydia suspiciously. “You weren’t talking about my relationship, were you?”

  “Look, I really don’t want to get involved in your case,” Lydia said.

  “So, don’t,” Leo said simply. “And there isn’t much left to solve here. We know what happened.”

  “That’s just it. Something here seems wrong to me.”

  “Lydia, you’re not a detective. You make taffy. You need to stop interfering.”

  “Just answer this one question for me, and then I won’t bring up this death again,” Lydia promised.

  Leo sighed and gestured for her to
ask her question. He didn’t agree that he would answer it though.

  “Where was Dr. Statler found?” asked Lydia.

  “In his condo,” Leo said shortly. “Now, I’ll thank you to stick to your word and not bring up the case again.”

  “Wait,” said Lydia before he could walk away. “There’s a reason for this question. I want to know if you think he was working on the fireworks when they exploded. Like he added the wrong ingredient or caused a spark while making them and that’s when it happened. Or did the fireworks suddenly go off because they weren’t stored properly and he was just in the room? Was he working on them? You said he was wearing goggles, right?”

  Leo gritted his teeth, but Lydia could tell he was curious about why she was bringing this up because he wasn’t walking away.