by Sonia Parin
The two women exchanged a look again. “A while back, Robert Howington came to one of our barbecues and he started talking about the plants in our gardens and asking questions about poisonous plants.”
“And you didn’t mention it to anyone?”
“Why would I? I thought he was only making conversation.”
Markus strode in carrying a tray of coffee and pastries. “There’s no sign of Steph.”
“She’s made a run for it,” Abby said. But where would she go?
“It’s out of your hands now, Abby. You just have to sit back and let Joshua do his job,” her mom said. “He’ll track her down.”
Yes, but would he also connect her to Robert Howington? “I really don’t like coincidences. Why would he ask about poisonous plants? He must have been planning something.” Would Joshua find proof? “Joshua will need to get a confession out of Steph.”
“She’s made herself look suspicious by running away,” her mom offered.
True. She’d have to explain herself. Innocent people didn’t hide. Abby sprung to her feet. “She’s hiding somewhere. Without a car and being out here in the middle of nowhere, she can’t hope to get away.” Abby grabbed her cell phone and called Joshua.
“Can’t talk now, Abby,” he said. “We managed to track down a pre-paid phone registered to Steph and another one under Robert’s name.”
Before she could get a word in, Joshua disconnected the call.
Faith grinned. “See, Eleanor. Abby’s never in real danger. She might snoop around but Joshua is the one putting his neck on the line.”
“Is that meant to reassure me?” her mom asked.
“Um, yes.”
Abby turned to Markus. “Have you checked Steph’s room?”
He snorted. “Of course.”
“And?”
“There’s no sign of her. I even checked under the bed.”
Walking around in a tight circle, Abby nibbled on the tip of her thumb.
“Do you think Joshua will be able to track her down using her phone?” Faith asked.
“Most likely,” Abby mused. “As long as a phone connects to a carrier’s cellular network, the carrier has to keep records of locations.”
“Yes, but how accurate are they?”
Abby shrugged. “From what I understand, a person’s location can be mapped out on a computer screen to within a few blocks.”
Abby’s mom cleared her throat. “That’s in an urban area, Abby. You’re out in the country. So, they’ll only be able to track her signal to a few miles.”
Abby looked out the window. The sun had already set. If Steph had taken refuge somewhere, she’d have to survive the night.
“What’s going through your mind, Abby?” Faith asked.
“If Steph had clandestine meetings with Bert, that would have been the perfect opportunity for her to give him the digitalis. I can picture her sneaking into his room at the end of the day to share a cup of tea. She’d prepare it for him and then take away the evidence with her.”
“But she must have slipped up at least once,” Faith said. “Leaving a teabag behind.”
“What teabag?” her mom asked.
Grinning, Faith said, “Eleanor, Abby has this theory about Steph mixing the digitalis in a teabag.”
“That doesn’t sound so farfetched. Abby, do you remember me saying someone dropped a serviette over the cell phone a couple of times?” her mom asked.
“Yes. That first day you went out with the tourist group.”
“Now that I think about it,” her mom continued, “Steph had been closest to the cell phone. She might have been trying to make sure I didn’t see her getting up to no good.”
Hearing police sirens in the distance, everyone stood up.
“Should we do something?” Faith asked.
Markus was the first one out the door. Faith followed. Grabbing the cell phone and signaling to Doyle, Abby brought up the rear.
“The sirens are getting closer.” Faith hurried down the hallway.
“Be careful, Abby,” her mom said.
Abby tried to catch up but then stopped and called out to Markus.
“What?”
She signaled to a door. “Is this Steph’s room?” she whispered.
Markus nodded.
Abby gestured for him to open the door.
“Why?” Markus mouthed as he unlocked the door.
Abby peered inside. She nudged the door open so the light from the hallway could spill in. The room was empty. Tiptoeing toward the window, she felt Markus following a step behind. In the time she’d been living at the pub, she hadn’t once looked up at her window from the street. She hadn’t even noticed the fire escape ladders.
Edging closer to the window, she looked down and sprung back.
“What?” Markus whispered.
Abby grabbed him by the arm and drew him out of the room and down the stairs.
“Would you mind telling me what that was about?”
“I found Steph.”
They all piled out of the pub and went to stand at the corner. The police car sirens had stopped but they could see the lights still whirling around a block away.
“I’m guessing they caught up with Robert Howington,” Abby said. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Markus standing by the gates leading to the alleyway, a cell phone to his ear, probably Mitch’s, Abby thought knowing Markus didn’t own a cell phone. Abby had agreed to let him do the honors and call the police.
While they didn’t have any concrete proof, Abby could only think of one reason for Steph to hide. Guilt.
“Is that Joshua walking toward us?” Faith asked.
“I think so. I guess he didn’t want to alert Steph.” Abby looked over her shoulder just as Markus growled.
“She’s going back up the ladder,” he called out.
“You’re kidding.”
“Abby, what’s going on?” her mom asked. “Why are we bouncing?”
“Steph is trying to make another getaway.” Abby trotted toward the residents’ entrance calling out to Faith to ring Mitch who’d stayed in the pub.
Someone must have alerted Joshua too because he called out. “Abby. Stand back.”
“What?” Abby made the mistake of looking toward him just as she reached the residents’ entrance.
Steph burst out and crashed against her.
“Ugh! You,” Steph growled. She pushed Abby and took off running in the opposite direction.
Abby fell back on her butt. “Ouch and… Really? She thinks she’s going to outrun a police officer?” In the next instant, Joshua sped by, followed by Faith and Markus.
“I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”
Epilogue
“I’m exhausted,” her mom exclaimed later that night. “I’ll have so many stories to tell. I can’t wait for you to send me the photos so I can have a show and tell. Everyone wants to hear about my trip. I’ll need another vacation after this. A real one.”
“I’m counting on it,” Abby said. “You know you’ll be safe coming here for a visit. What are the chances of someone else being killed?”
“Abby, that’s tempting fate,” her mom warned. A moment later, her mom hummed. “I’d hate to say this, but a part of me is still in denial and waiting for you to tell me all is well and Bert had gone along with a hoax.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Mom. Unfortunately, it was all too real but you must admit, it had to be coincidental.”
“I thought you said you don’t like coincidences.”
True. “Oh, look. Here comes Joshua.”
Everyone at the bar fell silent. Joshua made a beeline for Abby’s table and drew out a chair.
“Well, that’s that,” he said.
They all leaned in.
“Now, can you fill in all the gaps?” Abby asked.
He grinned. “What’s there to say?”
“He’s going to make us beg,” Markus growled.
“Or guess,” Abby said.
“The cell phone gave you an idea of Robert Howington’s whereabouts,” Faith piped in. “I should clarify, this is the second cell phone Abby insisted he had to have. Oh, and I should add further clarification by saying this is the man Abby suspected of colluding with someone because she saw him talking with one of the tourists. We have to give her credit. After all, she went out on a limb.”
“Fine.” Joshua put his hand up. “I’ll come clean. Abby’s suspicions sometimes sound farfetched but, in this case, they turned out to be spot on. We intercepted Robert Howington and followed at a discreet distance. Then, he must have noticed we were following, so we had to give chase. Now, I want to know how you discovered Steph had been clinging to the fire escape ladder, hoping to go unnoticed until she could meet up with Robert Howington and make her getaway.”
“Abby used deductive thinking,” her mom said.
“The small town is surrounded by miles of countryside. Where else could she have gone?” Faith reasoned and turned to Abby for confirmation.
Abby could only nod. In reality, she had thought of the fire escape ladder because that would have been the last place she would choose to hide in. “So, who was the mastermind?”
Joshua brushed his hand across his face. “Steph gave a statement saying Robert had approached her with the plan.”
“That’s the part I don’t quite understand,” Abby mused. “If someone approaches me with a suggestion we pull our resources and get rid of someone, I’d tell them to take a hike.”
“I guess Robert tapped into her need,” Joshua said. “He knew she’d run into financial difficulties. Her restaurant had been shut down so she didn’t have any means of earning a living. At her age, it would be near impossible to recoup her loses. He offered her a couple of million dollars. That would be enough to tempt anyone.”
“Yes, but who had the idea of mixing the digitalis with the tea?” Abby asked. Mostly, she wanted to know who’d hit her on the head, but she couldn’t ask because her mom was hanging on every word and the incident remained the one fact she had managed to keep secret. She could only assume it had been Steph.
“Robert masterminded the plan. He needed the money and he couldn’t wait until his dad died of natural causes. Apparently, his dad had been rethinking the will and had considered reducing the amount of money he left his son. That gave Robert incentive to put his plan into motion. He knew his dad had the women wrapped around his little finger. They were like bees to honey and all vying for his attention. He convinced Steph he would never offer her more than a fling before moving on to the next one. Steph is only saying she saw an opportunity and grabbed it. Robert Howington knew his dad’s medication was constantly being monitored and rightly assumed upsetting the balance would have an adverse effect.”
Abby’s mom sighed. “Bert seemed so nice. I find it hard to believe he had been flitting from one woman to another.”
Abby wished she could put her arms around her mom. In reality, she knew there had to be some truth to Bert’s behavior. Cynthia had admitted he had only recently started singling her out for private tête-à-têtes. She would have been his next conquest…
“I can’t help feeling sorry for Steph,” Abby’s mom said.
“She’d already had a few bad relationships,” Joshua told her. “So, she’d become embittered. When Robert told Steph his father would never offer her a serious commitment, she settled for the next best thing.”
“Murder?” Abby exclaimed. “That’s rather extreme.”
Her mom shook her head. “That’s an act of desperation. It’s sad to think someone could reach that point.”
Abby snatched Markus’ order book and scrawled on it, asking Joshua if Steph had owned up to hitting her on the head. When he read it, he gave her a small nod. Finally, she thought. The mystery of her attacker solved.
“How did they ever think they would get away with murder?”
“Robert Howington assumed his dad’s death wouldn’t draw attention because he’d had a pre-existing condition. And, he was right, up to a point. Unfortunately for him, we might live in a small town but we have competent staff working at the hospital. If only we’d been able to get our hands on that one teabag.” Joshua smiled. “Steph had planned on delivering the fatal dosage. She prepared the tea for Bert, but then she forgot to retrieve the teabag until the next day.”
Aha. That made sense. Abby nodded and mouthed, “Thank you.”
“Such a tragedy,” her mom said. “No one deserves to have their life cut short.”
“Have you spoken with Denise Lowe?” Abby asked.
Joshua nodded. “I found that difficult. The woman didn’t bat an eyelid. On the bright side, she said she’d been through enough so she won’t be contesting her dad’s will or his promise to give Eleanor the drawing. I think that might be her way of expressing her gratitude to you, Abby.” Joshua clasped his hands and turned his attention to the cell phone. “So, Eleanor. When can we hope to meet you in person?”
To Abby’s surprise, her mom gave an uncharacteristic snort. “Well, my virtual tour doesn’t end for a few more days. Anything could happen between now and then. Although, I have to say, surely the town has already had its fair share of mishaps. What are the chances of someone else being murdered?”
I hope you enjoyed The Last Stop!
Abby Maguire and Doyle will be back with book 5 – The Last Dance! Read on for a preview of chapter 1.
If you wish to receive notifications about new releases, Sonia Parin on BookBub
Preview - The Last Dance
“I had to drive twice around the block before I found a place to park. What’s going on in town today?” Abby asked as she strode into the Gazette. “It’s full of cars but the place looks deserted. Where is everyone?”
Doyle scurried inside and made a beeline for his doggy bed only to stop and sniff the air. Lowering his nose to the ground, he sniffed his way around the newspaper office. Not a good sign, Abby thought.
“Faith? Did you hear me?” No answer. “Here I am, returning triumphant from the interview you set up for me and I have no one to share the news with.” Avoiding the loose floorboards, she strode down the hallway leading to the printing room and poked her head inside. Still no sign of Faith. “I’ve seen this type of scene far too often in movies.” Lowering her voice, Abby added, “cue suspense music.”
Moving from a large city to a small town had taken some getting used to. The smaller population. The slower pace. The long periods of eerie silence. But Abby had embraced the change. Of course, everywhere she went, she had Doyle by her aside. Her canine companion could always be trusted to raise the alarm. No one could ever sneak up on her. Abby glanced down at Doyle and grinned. “Well? Did you pick up the scent of some sort of nefarious activity?”
Doyle tilted his little head from side to side.
“You sense something but you can’t quite put your paw on it?”
He lifted his paw and looked down at it.
Abby grinned. “Huh? Is that what you’re saying? Paw? What paw? Make sense, human.” Hearing the front door open, she swung around and rushed back out, Doyle following at her heels. “There you are.”
“Yes, here I am but why are you here?” Faith asked and dangled a large shopping bag. “You need to hurry or you’ll miss out.”
Abby tried to connect the dots. Faith looked both flustered and excited. Had something happened?
Faith’s neat eyebrows curved up. “The new dress you’re supposed to get. Remember?”
“Clearly not. Remind me again and, where have you been? I called several times and left messages on your cell phone.”
Faith set her shopping bag down on her desk. “You must be the only person in town not thinking about or talking about what you’re going to wear to the Venetian Ball.”
Abby pressed her lips together and looked away.
The Venetian Ball.
The one she hadn’t been inv
ited to…
Everyone in town had been raving nonstop about the upcoming event for a month now.
“Has the mail come in?” Abby asked.
“Yes, I put it on your desk the same way I do every morning.”
Abby riffled through the stack of mail.
Nothing.
The invitation would be hard to miss. A month before, Faith had burst into the Gazette yelping and waving the envelope like a regular Charlie from the chocolate factory celebrating his golden ticket find. The envelope had been quite large, with a gilded edge and addressed in an elegant script. Faith’s celebration had lasted several minutes and then she’d made quite an event of opening the envelope and drawing out the card.
After subjecting her hands to Faith’s scrutiny, Abby had been allowed to hold it, but only if she promised to only hold the card by the edges. Printed on thick velum paper, the invitation from Charles Granger had included an R.S.V.P. which had already come and gone.
Why hadn’t she received an invitation?
Abby hadn’t seen Charles Granger around town, otherwise she might have… dropped a hint. She knew the owner of Willoughby Park, a local deer farm. They had met several months back. In fact, he’d offered to drive her to the picnic held at the lake not long ago, and he’d been a gracious driver and host, providing a magnificent luncheon.
This was nothing but an oversight, Abby thought. Or… the invitation might have gone astray. Had it been delivered to the wrong address? No, impossible, she thought. The recipient would have re-directed it. Surely. Unless, the person who’d received it by mistake had decided to hold onto it out of spite because they hadn’t received an invitation either.
As the only reporter in town, she should have been invited. Abby wondered if she should call Charles Granger. The eccentric landowner lived on a large estate a few miles outside of town. Abby knew he had an assistant but she’d never met her. If she called, what would she say? By the way, where’s my invitation? She would come across as needy and desperate.
