by Grace York
"We're going to finish painting Layla's new room. And I'm going to drive her to the nursing home, too. She needs to spend time with her dad."
Layla's car had been lost in the fire along with everything else. It had been parked in the garage around the back of the gallery. The insurance company were due at the gallery today to assess the damage. Addison had avoided seeing it for herself, but going on what other people had said there was nothing left. She hoped they'd pay Layla out quickly so she could get on with rebuilding her life.
The nursing home was close enough that Layla could walk, of course, but Addison wasn't going to let her cousin out of her sight while Rick Ramirez was on the prowl. Come to think of it, she wasn't that keen on the idea of leaving Olivia here on her own.
"I might give Jason a call, see if he can come over for the day and help us," she said.
Olivia shrugged. "Whatever. I'm going to take Charlie for a walk." She put her empty cereal bowl in the dishwasher, grabbed the dog's lead, and went out the back door.
Addison popped the tarts in the oven just as Layla entered the kitchen.
"Good morning," said Addison. "How did you sleep?"
Layla just smiled and shook her head. Addison knew how she felt.
"Would you like to go and visit your dad later today?"
"Yes, I suppose I should." Layla made herself a coffee and took a seat at the bench while Addison cleaned up her cooking mess. "Oh, Addison. What is he doing here? And why now? It can't just be a coincidence that he turns up at the same time as Jenna is murdered, can it?"
"It is unlikely," Addison admitted. "But he just got released from prison. We know how he feels about you, Layla. It does stand to reason he'd come here and try to see you."
Layla sipped her coffee. "So you think he came to the gallery on Friday night and found Jenna there instead of me? And he decided to get rid of her?" Addison noticed her cousin's hands were shaking.
"Let's let the police worry about that for now." Addison got a carton of eggs out of the fridge. "I'm going to make you an omelette. You need your strength. Just let me call Jason first."
Addison left Layla in the kitchen while she made the call from the great room. Jason agreed to come over in a couple of hours. She promised him a Portuguese custard tart would be waiting with his name on it.
Olivia and Charlie returned from their walk, and after Layla had managed to eat half an omelette the three of them got to work with the painting. They had the first coat almost finished by the time Jason arrived.
"This is looking great," said Jason, inspecting their work. "You're all naturals. We'll have this room finished in no time."
He seemed in brighter spirits today. Addison thanked him for coming, and then after a quick morning tea she and Layla left for Getaway Care nursing home.
18
When they entered Dennis's room, they found him sitting up in bed listening to Angie. She was reading to him from the Harry Potter book, and his eyes were bright. There was even the hint of a smile. Addison was pleased to see him looking so well, but Layla wasn't happy at all.
"How dare you?" she said to Angie, snatching the book from her hands.
"Oh, my. Oh, Layla, I'm so sorry. I was just—"
"I'm the one who reads to him, not you!" Layla all but pushed Angie out of the way as she put a protective arm around her father.
"I'm so sorry," said Angie again, and Addison noticed the nurse's eyes well up as she quickly left the room.
Addison stood near the foot of Dennis's bed and watched as Layla fussed around him. She adjusted his pillows and bedclothes, all the while telling him everything was going to be okay. Or telling herself that.
When she finally settled down, Addison decided she should say something.
"You might have been a little hard on Angie just then."
"She overstepped," said Layla sharply.
"Maybe, but I think her intentions were good. And Uncle Dennis didn't seem to mind."
Layla looked at her father and burst into tears. "You're right. I shouldn't have got upset with her like that. I just don't know what to do anymore, Addison."
"It's okay." Addison guided Layla into the chair beside Dennis's bed. Dennis had drifted off to sleep. "You've been through a lot, hun. It's completely understandable. We're just taking one day at a time, remember? One day at a time. You don't need to worry about anything except spending time with your dad."
Layla nodded and pulled a tissue out of the box on Dennis's bedside table. She composed herself, then sighed. "I should probably go and apologise to Angie," she said. "She's been so good to Dad."
"I'll do it," said Addison. "She'll understand, I'm sure. You stay here. Sit with him for a while."
"Okay. Thanks, Addison."
Addison gave her cousin a reassuring smile, then went off in search of Angie.
She found the kindly nurse in tears in the break room. "Are you okay?" Addison asked.
"I'm really sorry," Angie said, wiping her eyes. "Layla was right. I shouldn't have been reading to him. That's a family thing."
"It's all right," said Addison, taking a seat on the couch opposite Angie. "Layla overreacted. She's been through a lot these last few days, as you know."
Angie nodded and blew her nose.
"I told her I'd come and find you to apologise on her behalf. She's sorry she got so upset with you."
"I understand. She's very protective of her father, which is as it should be. I was the same when my mother was in here."
"Your mother was a resident here at Getaway Care?" Addison asked.
"Yes. It was a while ago now. Before I worked here. The staff back then were very caring, too. It helped a lot to see that my mother was being treated so well. Like family. That's what made me want to work here. It's why I treat all the patients as if they were my own family."
"Because you know what it's like to be on the other side," Addison said.
"Yes. I know what it feels like to leave your loved one in the hands of strangers. But I promise I won't read to Dennis anymore. That's Layla's thing to do with him, and I respect that."
"Thank you," said Addison. "And thank you also for treating him so well. I know Layla really appreciates it. In spite of her outburst just now."
Angie nodded, her tears gone now. "Is she coping okay? Layla? I mean, it's hard enough having a loved one in here and so close to the end. I can't imagine how much her sister's death is weighing on her. And the loss of her gallery. The poor thing."
"We're taking things one day at a time," said Addison. "It's hard, of course. But she's strong. She'll get through it." Addison wondered whether she should warn the nursing home staff about Rick. Would he come here looking for Layla? She decided it was better to be safe than sorry, and Angie seemed like the kind of person who would be discreet about the situation.
"There is something you should probably, know," Addison began. By the time she'd finished explaining about Rick's release from prison and his subsequent visit to the beach house, Angie was aghast and concerned for Layla's welfare all over again.
"Like I said, the police are aware of the situation, obviously, and are conducting their investigations. But I just thought you should know in case he turns up here. He is most definitely not welcome."
"Got it," said Angie. "I'll let the rest of the staff know. Do you think he might be responsible for Jenna's murder?"
"The police are looking into that," said Addison. She didn't want to go into any more detail. It was Layla's business, after all.
Angie excused herself and went back to work, and Addison found her way back to Dennis's room. She gave Layla a thumb's up to say everything was okay, and then sat quietly in the corner while Layla continued reading to her father.
They left when a different nurse brought Dennis's lunch in.
"I don't know why they bother," said Layla as they walked to the car. "He hasn't eaten anything for days."
"There was a tub of custard on the tray," said Addison. "Maybe that'll be e
asy enough for him to swallow."
"Maybe."
"Shall we go to Hazel's for lunch?" Addison suggested.
Layla nodded. Addison sent a quick text off to Olivia to let her know what they were doing, and check that Jason was still there. All was well back at the beach house, so Addison drove them the short distance and parked in front of Hazel's café.
There were three staff helping Hazel with the lunchtime rush, which was just as well. Addison had never seen the place so busy.
"Maybe she finally got a new baker," Addison whispered as they approached the counter, but changed her mind when she saw the empty display cabinet.
"Hazel's is always busy for lunch," said Layla. "She has no problem with savoury food. It's just the sweets she can't seem to get right."
"Oh. Well that's something then."
"Hi girls," said Hazel, wiping her hands on her apron. "I gave up," she added when she saw Addison staring at the empty cabinet. "Thought I should concentrate on my strengths for now."
"Good for you," said Layla. "Have you got room for us for lunch?"
"We're just leaving," came a voice from behind them. "You can have our table."
Addison swung around to find Josie Porter, the dog groomer, finishing off the last chips on her plate. Or was it Juliet? Whichever twin she was, there was an older woman with her who had to be their mother.
"Hi… Josie?" said Addison.
"Good guess," Josie answered.
Addison smiled. "You did an excellent job on Charlie, thanks for that."
"You're most welcome. How's he doing?"
"He's great, actually. Follows my daughter around everywhere she goes. I don't have the heart to separate them."
"So you'll keep him?" asked the older woman. "I'm Felicia, by the way."
"Nice to meet you. Yes, I think Charlie might be staying with us. My daughter's had enough loss. I can't send him away."
Josie piled her and her mother's empty plates together and placed them on the counter for Hazel. "There you go," she said. "Take a seat." She placed a hand on Layla's arm. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she said sincerely.
"Thanks, Josie. I appreciate it."
"Is there anything we can do to help?"
Layla shook her head and lowered herself into the booth Josie and Felicia had vacated. "No, thank you. Addison is taking care of me."
Josie gave Layla's arm one last squeeze, and then she and her mother left.
"Everyone's been so nice," said Layla. "I don't know how to handle it."
"I think you handled it just fine," said Addison, picking up a menu but not opening it yet. "There are no rules for something like this, Layla. You just have to look after yourself. Don't worry about other people. They don't know what to say or how to handle things any more than you do."
"No, I suppose not." Layla opened her own menu. "I'm starving."
Addison smiled. It was the first time Layla had been interested in food since the fire. It was a step in the right direction.
19
On the drive home from the café, an idea entered Addison's head. What if she were to offer to bake for Hazel? She'd joked about it with Olivia the other day, but she had to admit she'd been half serious. She could do it from her own kitchen, which would be commercial enough once the bed and breakfast was up and running. And it wouldn't be that much extra work. If she was baking for her guests, surely it wouldn't be too much trouble to do extra for Hazel's café?
"What are you thinking about?" asked Layla as they pulled into the beach house driveway.
"Oh, nothing," said Addison. She didn't want voice her idea just yet. She knew Olivia would go nuts at her trying to take on even more work, and she wasn't ready for that argument. "Come on. Let's go see how much work these young, fit people have managed to get done."
Olivia and Jason had done quite a lot, actually. Addison was very pleased with their efforts. The bed and breakfast would be ship-shape in no time.
They all worked together for a couple more hours, until Layla's new room was ready to move into. Jason and Olivia moved a couple of pieces of furniture in for her, then they all left her to it.
"Who wants coffee?" asked Addison once the three of them were down in the kitchen.
"Yes please," said Olivia.
"Any chance you can do an iced coffee?" asked Jason. He fished a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped sweat from his forehead.
Addison shrugged. There was cream in the fridge, and it wouldn't take much to whip it. "I don't see why not."
"That sounds good," said Olivia. "Make mine an iced coffee too, please."
"Three iced coffees, coming right up." Addison set about making the drinks while Jason and Olivia laughed about some joke or other they'd seen on the Internet. Addison was pleased to see Olivia had gotten over her initial shyness around Jason. It was also good to see Jason smile.
The iced coffees turned out delicious, and they were polished off quickly. Charlie, who'd been patiently sitting at Olivia's feet, stretched up and pawed gently at her legs.
"Okay, boy," said Olivia, scratching the top of his head. "It's time for your walk. Let's go." Charlie ran around in excited circles while Olivia found his lead.
When they were gone, Addison asked Jason to join her in the back garden. "I have some ideas for out here I want to run by you," she said.
The back garden currently consisted of the dilapidated shed, the mango and citrus trees, and a large amount of overgrown grass. It was a big space, but it needed a lot of work.
"What are your thoughts?" asked Jason as they strolled.
Addison explained her idea of creating a large seating area centred around an outdoor pizza oven. "I think it would be lovely to sit out here of an evening and enjoy a glass of wine while we cook pizzas. What do you think?"
"Sounds great to me. You want me to build it?"
"If you think you could, yes. That would be lovely. After we finish the inside of the house, though."
"Of course. I'll start working on some plans." Jason walked around the area, as much as he could with the overgrown grass. Addison could see he was already thinking of where the pizza oven could go. She let him pace things out and took a seat in the old cane lounge the previous owner had left behind on the back verandah. When Jason was finished he came and sat in the other chair.
"I think that'll work out great," he said. "I'll work on a price for you once I've had a look at the equipment. I'm sure they have kits for pizza ovens at the hardware store."
"Excellent," said Addison. She was so pleased the beach house was coming together. It was going to be a wonderful place to gather with new friends. Speaking of new friends, she counted Jason as one of them. She was a little ashamed she'd thought of him as a suspect in Jenna's murder.
"How are you doing, Jason? I mean, after Jenna…"
Jason nodded and sank back in the chair. "I'm okay. I mean, I'm angry and hurt, and I'm upset that I didn't get the chance to change her mind about leaving. And I'm angry that someone took that chance away from me. If only she'd come to the door…"
"Come to the door when?" asked Addison, her detective hat back on all of a sudden.
Jason's face sank. His gaze dropped to his lap and he gripped the arms of the chair.
"Did you go to see Jenna on Friday night?" Addison asked. She held her breath as she waited for him to answer.
He nodded.
"But she didn't answer the door?"
He shook his head.
This was something he could have mentioned earlier. Addison wondered whether Wilcox knew.
"Did you tell the police?" she asked.
Another head shake.
"Jason… You can't hide something like that from the police. It makes you look guilty. You're not guilty, are you? Did you hurt Jenna? Did you set the fire?"
"No!" That brought his voice back. "I didn't touch her. I never would have hurt her."
"Then why were you there?"
"I told you before. I thought I could change
her mind about leaving. I know I could have, if I'd just had the time."
"Okay," Addison held a hand out to placate him. She didn't want Layla to hear them arguing. "Tell me what happened."
Jason took a deep breath. "I went home from here on Friday afternoon and changed. Then I went to see Jenna. I called to tell her I was coming."
"You spoke to her?"
"Yes. Just briefly. I asked if it was all right if I came over, she said yes."
"What time was this?"
"I called at about six o'clock, then I went straight round. I would have been there by quarter past."
Addison wished she had her notebook. It was just inside in the kitchen, but she didn't want to break Jason's momentum. She had a feeling he was only going to tell her this once. She'd have to try and remember what he said and write it down later.
"And when you got there, she wasn't there?"
"I don't know if she was there or not. But she didn't answer the door. It was locked."
"The gallery door? Downstairs?"
"Yes. I called her mobile again, I thought maybe she didn't hear me knock. But she didn't answer the phone."
"That wasn't long before the fire." Addison's mind was racing. "So let me get this straight – we left Jenna at around half past five, maybe a little later. You called her around six, and she answered and told you to come over. So everything was still fine with her at that point. But then when you arrived, she didn't answer the door or the phone."
"That's right."
"Would she have changed her mind about seeing you in those fifteen minutes, do you think?" Addison remembered Jenna's talent for playing games, and apparently the whole town believed she was leading Jason on. But Jason shook his head emphatically.
"She'd never done anything like that to me before. You know, I considered trying to break in. I thought something might be wrong."
"Why didn't you?" Addison asked.
"It was Layla's gallery. I didn't want to do any damage. Maybe I should have. Do you think whoever killed her was inside?"
Addison didn't want to add to his hurt, but she couldn't see any other explanation.
