+ Detective’s Notebook Handwriting Transcript
[page 1]
Arrival
- Do Not Not Donut Shop
- approx. 8:49 AM.
- met w/ patrol officers
Dispatch received a call @7:31 AM from Thomas Wainewright, ex-employee.
- Got through first, 2 others called
Responding officer entered the shop @7:46 AM
- Found the shop’s owner, Fred Jackson Jr., dead on the counter.
- Autopsy pending, but all signs point to violent struggle and death by blunt force trauma. Victim’s fitness tracker: last heartbeat @ 17 min. before officer arrival
[page 2]
Victim
Fred Jackson, Jr.
aka Fred the Man, Freddie Friendly
- 56 y/o
- 5’11”
- 253 lbs
- Owner and operator of Do Not Not Donut Shop; prev. rideshare driver
- Married to Lorraine Jackson (nee Springs) for 22 years.
- 2 children: Sigmund (17) & Toriano (26)
- No prior arrest record.
This case is hitting the precinct hard. Several officers @HQ frequented Do Not Not Donut and claimed close friendship w/ Fred.
Appears Fred was well-known and well-liked among customers. No public disputes discovered.
[page 3]
Scene
- The cash register opened and emptied.
- Water covered much of the floor
- No cameras
Apple fritter
- delicious
- moist and flavorful
- unidentifiable heat. Cayenne?
- Scene is currently being photographed
- Three witnesses
Witnesses + Claims
Thomas Wainewright
Former employee
- polite and cooperative
- very insistent he did not commit the murder even though he had “every reason to want to.”
[page 4]
Asked him: Did Fred owe him money?
- hated Fred for personal reasons
- not business
Thomas said his wife was a coffee seller roaster and just started consulting for Fred 3 months ago.
- Spent a lot of time consulting after hours
- Traveled with Fred to “conventions”
Asked him: Re: his wife, where was she now?
- Flew off a week ago to meditation retreat in Costa Rica — no notice.
[page 5]
- Found out from social media.
- Showed me the updates on her Birdlr feed.
- Tropical foliage in the photos, somewhere far from here.
- Told him she found someone else [arrow pointing right] Thomas thinks that’s Fred.
Asked him: what was he doing here?
- Said he wanted to give Fred a piece of his mind
- No plan other than several choice insults
- But: he got an emergency call from nature. If true, I can sympathize.
[page 6]
- Fred gave him the bathroom key only after he purchased a glazed cruller.
- Took one bite and entered the bathroom. I saw it in the trash. What a waste.
Asked him: did he hear anything while in the bathroom?
- No
- Filled the toilet w/ towels for 15 min. and flushed until the water started rising.
- When he opened the door Fred was dead.
[page 7]
Asked him: Re: Lorraine, did he know her?
- Yes and they got along
- Filled in for Fred behind the register whenever he left for “donut conventions”
- Called Lorraine when his wife left, told Lorraine that his wife and Fred were having an affair
Asked him: Did he know the other customer?
- A friend of Fred’s, Benny
- comes in every morning for a free donut.
- Benny was having a heated discussion w/ Fred when Thomas arrived.
[page 8]
Benny Frank
Friend, regular customer
- Arrived as Fred was opening up.
- got a strawberry-filled donut and was chatting w/ Fred like every morning
- saw Thomas enter shop, said he was angry about his last paycheck
- Also saw Lorraine enter the shop after Thomas
- Felt uncomfortable, went outside and smoked for 15 min.
- Returned and saw Fred’s body, called the police but they said it had already been reported.
[page 9]
Asked him: Re: Fred, how long have you known him?
- Years
- Met when Fred was a driver, Benny was his mechanic
- Believed in Fred: Invested in his shop when it hit hard times
Asked him: Re: Thomas, what do you know about him?
- Smart decision to fire him, always taking breaks
- Tried charging Benny every day for donut
Asked him: Re: Lorraine, what do you know about her?
[page 10]
been having trouble
- Benny left to give them some space and enjoy a cigar outside.
Lorraine Jackson
victim’s wife
- Arrived approx. 7:15 AM
- Noticed Thomas entering the bathroom as she was walking in.
- Said she was in a rush to drop off some legal papers she had been holding on to before a meeting w/ her lawyer. Conversation w/ Fred was short.
- Walked out and got in her car but thought Fred deserved more explanation.
[arrow] Left him a petition for divorce
[page 11]
- Walked back into shop, saw Fred’s body, and called 911.
[arrow] Operator spoke to a male
- Hates donuts [arrow] ?
Asked her: Re: Fred, any enemies or ongoing disagreements?
- plenty: banks, rental companies, other faceless orgs
- violence was never a concern
Asked her: Re: Fred, how was he as a business partner?
- Fred had little luck and little skill in business
- just passion and a need to be liked
Asked her: Re: The divorce?
- clammed up at the question
- “painful but necessary”
[page 12]
- Fred “attended too many donut conventions” and was “groping for trout in a peculiar river”
[arrow] Fred the Fisherman? reminder to look up this phrase
Asked her: Re: Future plans?
- Moving into her parents’ summer home
- Exploring her options
- Might take a year to “see the world” [arrow] Told her to wait until this case is settled
Asked her: Re: what does she know about Thomas?
- reliable, quiet.
- chronic stomach issues
- the only people Fred wouldn’t stiff were his employees.
[page 13]
Asked her: Re: what does she know about Benny?
- @ the shop every morning
- mechanic, has a garage across town, opens around the same time as DNND
- never takes a day off
- Keeps a newspaper open to sports section
- Reacts very strongly to sports news
Questions & Possible Answers
Question 1: What order did people arrive?
A. Benny – Lorraine – Thomas
B. Thomas – Benny – Lorraine
C. Lorraine – Benny –Thomas
D. Benny – Thomas – Lorraine
[page 14]
Question 2: What time did Fred die?
Q. 7:31 AM
R. 7:18 AM
S. 7:29 AM
T. 7:44 AM
Question 3: Why were Fred and Lorraine getting divorced?
M. Fred’s poor business decisions made life too difficult
N. Fred was having an affair with Thomas’s wife
O. Lorraine wanted to leave Fred for Benny
P. The tragic but inevitable drifting apart of two people who promised each other forever before they had any idea what forever meant
[page 15]
Question 4: Who knew how to operate the cash register?
E. Fred, Thomas, and Lorraine
F. Fred, Lorraine, and Benny
G. Fred, Thomas, and Benny
H. No one but Fred
Question 5: What was the motivation for the murder?
I. Revenge
J. Money
K. Accidental
L. Bad Donut
[page 16]
Question 6: What happened?
U. The killer came in for a donut, got angry and threw it at Fred, was interrupted by the arrival of the other suspects, waited for them to leave, tried to get into the cash register, and then killed Fred when he tried to stop them.
V. The killer arrived first, snuck into the bathroom while Fred was distracted by the other suspects, hid inside the bathroom until the other suspects left, killed Fred, and then emptied the cash register to make it look like a robbery gone wrong.
[page 17]
W. The killer arrived last, had Fred ask the other suspects to leave for a moment so that they could have a private conversation, killed Fred, and then left quickly before the others could notice.
X. The killer arrived after the other suspects had left, ordered a donut, took a bite from the donut and was dissatisfied, asked for a refund but was refused, and then killed Fred in a rage. After their rage subsided, they were shocked at what they had done and called the police to make themselves look innocent.
[page 18]
If I can figure these out, the pieces will fall into place…
+ Solution Handwriting Transcript (WARNING! Spoilers!)
Great work, Deputy Detective!
With your keen eye and clever connections we got the go-ahead to collar Benny. A review of Fred’s finances confirmed he received a hefty loan from Benny. And it turns out friends’ businesses weren’t the only things Benny liked to bet on. A few too many losses with the ponies got him in hot water with some ice-cold bookies.
So when Benny requested Fred’s repayment immediately and Fred asked for yet another deferment, Benny panicked and started to break open the cash register. Fred tried to stop him, and you know the rest.
Lorraine was relieved to have her ex-husband’s killer found. It’s cold comfort, but I guess Fred’s life insurance payout is enough to help her out of debt and keep the kids fed awhile.
I heard Thomas is still unemployed. Must be a tough sell when the interview asks about his last job and he says his boss was recently murdered.
As for me, I can’t thank you enough for picking up my slack here. If you’re ever interested in full-time private-eye work, let me know. As for the old stomach, I’m feeling much better now. I may even give up the sweets. I hear they make sugar-free fritters now.
—Det. Frage
+ Epilogue Handwriting Transcript (WARNING! Spoilers!
Thanks for picking up my slack, Deputy Detective. I should have known better than to stuff four of those sweet and subtly spicy apple fritters down my gullet, but what can I say? Delicious.
Your sleuthing threw a wrench into Benny Frank’s day, that’s for sure. The blues from the station picked him up and brought him to trial. Benny knew that with all the clues you caught, there was no way he would get away with killing Fred. He pleaded guilty to the judge and jury and that was that.
The donut shop is under new management. Thomas got a bank loan to go along with his plans for renovating the place, and I heard Lorraine helped him recreate all of Fred’s original recipes. That’s good news for the precinct. Bad news for my belly.
I walked by one morning when the pale blue light preceding the sunrise just started to burn away the early fog. Curiosity, habit, or a growling stomach made me want to peek at the place. I couldn’t help but smile just a little. There’s a new sign over the door. It says “Fred’s Donuts.”
—Det. Frage