Ruby Herring Mysteries: Silent Witness

Ruby Herring, a dedicated consumer reporter for 'News We Can Use,' arrives at a beautiful Seattle mountain resort for the wedding of her sister, Charlotte. Also at the resort is Sugar Albert, a famous baker and old family friend who is attending a conference and baking Charlotte's wedding cake. The atmosphere turns tragic when Ruby and Charlotte, out for a morning hike, hear screams and find Sugar trapped under a log in a creek. Despite Ruby's attempts at CPR, Sugar passes away. Detective Jake Killian, a recent transfer from New York, arrives to investigate what he initially deems a suspicious death, though he is annoyed by Ruby's constant interference and 'armchair sleuthing.' Ruby's father, John Herring, a legendary retired crime reporter, encourages her to follow her 'Herring hunch.' Ruby notices that Sugar's body lacked the injuries consistent with a fall from a high cliff, suggesting she was chased or moved. She begins investigating the attendees of the baking conference, including Sugar’s husband Sam, who seems strangely detached; Marian Rabbel, a rival baker who claims Sugar stole her recipes; and Ellie Bluth, the conference organizer. Ruby discovers that Sugar and Sam were secretly planning a divorce and that Sugar held a controlling interest in their multi-million dollar company, which she intended to sell against Sam's wishes. As the investigation deepens, Ruby learns from the medical examiner, Tommy, that Sugar was drugged with sleeping pills before she drowned. Ruby finds a discarded water bottle and notices a discrepancy in Sugar's final selfies. She realizes that a reflection in Sugar's glasses shows someone wearing pink running shoes—shoes she later sees on the resort manager, Derek, and Sugar's niece, Megan. Ruby cleverly swaps her own fitness tracker with Megan's to monitor her heart rate data from the morning of the murder. The data reveals a spike in heart rate followed by a 20-minute 'cool down' period where Megan waited for Sugar to drown before 'discovering' the body. In a final confrontation in the resort kitchen, Megan confesses that she killed her aunt because the sale of the company would have left her with nothing. After Megan is arrested, the wedding proceeds smoothly, and Ruby shares a dance with Detective Killian, hinting at a future partnership.