“Really?” Meg asked, her eyes wide. “Why did she run? She didn’t have anything to do with Radcliffe’s death, did she?”
Amanda shrugged. “From what I’ve heard she was just scared. She’s got some blots on her legal record, and she was worried the cops would think she had killed her employer.”
Meg frowned, then started ticking off facts on her fingers. “So, he was poisoned. By his ceiling. By a guy who was angry because his farm got swindled out from under his family.” She looked around at the other women. “Do I have it right now?”
Laughing, Amanda put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “That’s pretty much it, but it turns out there’s more to the story than we thought. When George dug into Radcliffe’s history he found out that he wasn’t the person behind all the stuff that happened.”
“What?” Mrs. Granger barked, leaning forward. “He sure as shootin’ was! I was there!” she exclaimed but Amanda put up a hand to stop her.
Amanda shook her head. “It’s a little different than what it appeared to be. From what George has been able to piece together, Radcliffe’s wife Doris was the one who did all the plotting and planning about starting Sweet-n-Tastee.”
Mrs. Granger’s eyes went wide with shock. “What? Are you kidding me? Doris was such a quiet mouse…”
“Maybe she was,” Amanda said, “but she was the one who figured out how to snatch the land from the rightful owners. It turns out Radcliffe was very dyslexic. All the notes and documents about the company are in her handwriting, and when the police searched the house after the murder they found her journal.”
“He had what?” Meg asked, obviously confused.
Amanda set her straight. "Well, he had trouble reading. You know, where the letters and numbers get all jumbled up?"
"Dyslexia,” Lisa added helpfully. The police chief had already filled her in on some of the details, so the story in the newspaper would be correct. “Radcliffe definitely knew what was going on, but Doris was the one who made it all happen.”
Amanda gave a deep sigh. “Fairfax told me Radcliffe masterminded all the bad things that had happened. Turns out he was wrong about that, too.”
“So,” Meg said, “he wasn’t just a killer. He killed the wrong guy, the lackey, not the person who planned the whole thing. Is that right?”
“Bingo,” Lisa said, and Meg smiled, proud of herself.’
“Knew I’d figure it out sooner or later.”
Chapter 24
"I think we need more wood on the fire," Amanda mused idly, looking past her stretched out feet to the bright warmth of their new brick fireplace. James turned his head and kissed her temple, then dutifully got up and pulled one of the split logs from the nearby bin. He slid aside the wire screen and dropped the wood onto the fire with a crash of sparks, then plopped down onto the sofa next to Amanda with a happy sigh. Oscar and Benson were curled up together, watching the whole thing from the comfort of Benson's padded dog bed next to the hearth. It hadn't taken more than a day before both pets had figured out that the best place in the house to be on a cool spring evening was right next to the cheery fireplace, and that the humans’ job was to keep it stoked and toasty warm for them.
Amanda took James' hand and pulled it toward her, so his arm looped over her head and once again slid behind her neck. "I could stay here forever. I love the Inn and all, but I've decided our new house is my favorite place in all the world."
James gave a deep chuckle. "Lady, I completely agree. Let's just turn off the phones and pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist for a while, okay? We can let the dishes and the mail pile up."
"And not answer the door," Amanda added.
"Right. And just have people deliver food to us. Heinrich's delivers up this way. We'll live on pizza and our love," James said with a wicked grin, and Amanda couldn't help but giggle.
"Pizza and our love? Count me in."
They sat in silence for a time, just watching the logs burn down, enjoying the warmth of the fire and their bodies next to each other, until James finally spoke.
"You know, we do need to talk about something," he said, and Amanda gave a dramatic sigh.
"Reality? You're going to bring up real life stuff?" she teased, but when she glanced at her husband she could see his expression was deadly serious.
"You know I love you," he started, and Amanda immediately felt a bit defensive. She'd been married long enough to realize that any conversation that started with that phrase was probably going to include something she'd done wrong, or be a talk about ways to improve something. They didn't argue much but she was still learning how to bring up things she didn't like either.
Like him leaving the toilet seat up or dropping his wet towel on the floor.
"Yes?" she asked in an innocent-sounding voice and James smiled.
"I just think if you're going to be so interested in helping the police department solve crimes, you should get some training and be able to protect yourself better, that's all." He shifted next to her, leaning over a bit so they were face-to-face. "I know you said you enjoy solving the puzzles and helping people, but you keep getting put in dangerous situations and I don't like it."
There it was.
He could see she was listening to what he was saying, so went on. "With Jennifer leaving and going with Gable, that leaves you without someone here who has self-defense training, and I think you need it. There's a class Officer Rollins is teaching down at the Grange Hall, and I'd feel much better about your safety if you signed up for it."
Amanda mulled it over. "Okay," she finally said. "I think that's actually a really good suggestion."
His eyebrows went up in surprise and a pleased smile spread across his face. "You will? That's great."
"I'll sign up tomorrow," she promised, which earned her a quick kiss.
"Thank you."
Amanda could hear the tone of heartfelt gratitude in his voice, and they sat in silence in front of the fire for several more minutes, just thinking over what he'd said and enjoying the quiet.
Finally, James sat up to use the poker and shift a fallen log back in place. "There sure have been a lot of changes around here. So, do you have any ideas about who you’re going to hire to help out at the Inn? With Jennifer leaving, you're definitely going to need someone right away."
Amanda nodded. "Actually, I do. I'm going to interview several people, but I'm going to make sure one of them is Elizabeth Porter. She seems to have been a good housekeeper for Radcliffe, so I'm considering giving her a trial run at the Inn. What do you think?"
James put the poker back in the rack and sat next to her. "Can she cook like Jennifer? I mean..." his voice trailed off, probably remembering his favorite scones that she tried to make him every day.
Amanda shook her head. "Columbia says she’s a great baker. I don't know, but I could fill in and help a bit with the cooking while she gets the hang of things. I should be able to tell right away whether she’s a good fit or not." She sighed. "I have to admit I'm going to miss Jennifer, though, so I'm hoping she'll come back to visit as often as possible." She brightened a bit. “Maybe now that you and Gable are talking again, we'll be able to see more of him, too."
James sat down and kicked off his cowboy boots, stretching his sock-covered feet toward the warmth of the fire. "I hope so." He reached for Amanda’s hand. "You know, I had no idea how much I missed Gable until Christy found that information from the museum. I feel like such a jerk for not believing Gable all these years.”
“You didn’t know,” Amanda ventured, but Gable seemed unconvinced.
“Well, I do now. I’m doing my best to make peace, and I know my parents have been trying to make amends, too."
"How about Ethan and Derek?" she asked, and James smiled.
"They called Gable the same day and totally groveled to him. Last I heard, they'd promised him a fishing trip and the use of Derek's hunting cabin anytime he wanted it. They both feel so bad about what happened they're bending ove
r backward to make it up to him." He chuckled a bit. "If Gable had any sense at all he'd work them over for every bit of guilt payment he could get." He paused, considering. “Actually, knowing him, that’s exactly what he’s going to do.”
"Lots of changes around here," she commented. “I can’t wait to see what the city does with Radcliffe’s house, but from what I hear they’re considering selling it off to raise funds for a little museum for Ravenwood Cove. They were talking about using it for the museum, but I guess even Mrs. Granger says it’s too big.”
James smiled. “Serves him right for not updating his will. He had written it himself without a lawyer, and said his home would revert back to the town on his death, as long as a big brass plaque was put on the front porch with his name on it. I think he probably wrote that when he was living in that tiny house he had years ago, and dreaming of making a big name for himself. Now the town gets the house, the house gets a plaque, and they can sell it as they see fit.” He smiled. "Actually, I have some news about a change that I haven't told you yet. I've let the sheriff know I don't want to go to as many conferences and training sessions." He gripped her hand more tightly. "Every time I leave home for a few days something seems to happen here in Ravenwood, and I don't want to risk that anymore."
"Really?" Amanda tried to hide the happiness in her voice, but her husband knew her too well.
"I thought that might make you happy," he said. "So, you’ll be stuck with me around the house more often. Think you can stand that?"
"Oh, yes," she said, then kissed him. "I could definitely get used to that." She gave him a happy smile. "Besides, I'm going to want you closer in the upcoming months."
James used his foot to scoot his favorite cowboy boots away from the heat of the fire. "Oh, yeah? Why’s that? You need help with the Inn?"
"Nope." Her voice had an odd quaver to it, and James looked at her sharply.
"I'm pregnant."
The words resounded in the cozy room, broken only by the snapping of the burning logs on the fire.
"You're...you're..." James said, his eyebrows raised in absolute shock. "You're pregnant?"
"Yes." Her smile was timid, but any worries she had about his reaction were immediately put to rest.
"We’re pregnant? We're pregnant!" he said, his face flushed with surprise and excitement. "When... I mean, when is the baby due?"
Amanda sat up, emotional tears threatening to spring to her eyes.
"Around Christmas. You’re happy, right? I mean, I know we thought we'd wait a bit more but..."
James’ answer was to throw both of his strong arms around her and crush her in an enormous hug, laughing all the while. When he finally pulled back, she could see the joy in his eyes.
"Lots of changes," he repeated, and she smiled.
"Yes, my love. The best sort of changes."
***
THANK YOU for reading this book! I have three series, and check reader reviews to let me know which one people like the best. If you’d like to see more books about Ravenwood Cove, please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon. ??
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Other Carolyn L. Dean books:
Here are the books in the Ravenwood Cove series:
#1 – BED, BREAKFAST, and BONES
#2 – DUNE, DOCK, and a DEAD MAN
#3 – MISTLETOE, MOONLIGHT, and MURDER
#4 – SEA, SKY, and SKELETON
#5 – TIME, TIDE, and TROUBLE
#6 – SUN, SAND, and SECRETS
#7 – ROCKS, ROSES, and RIPTIDES
#8 – FRUIT, FLOWER, and FLAMES
#9 – TEA, TREATS, and TERROR
#10- JAM, JELLY, and JUST DESSERTS
…and here are the books in the World Travel Cozy Mystery series:
#1 – PERILS IN PROVENCE
#2 – A CORPSE IN CORNWALL
…and here are the books in the Brightwater Bay series:
#1 – A LITTLE TASTE OF MURDER
#2 – A TINY DASH OF DEATH
#3 – A SWEET SPOONFUL OF CYANIDE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Carolyn L. Dean
USA Today best-selling author
I've been writing and making stories in my head as early as I can remember. In third grade, I came home, set my lunchbox down, and told my mother I wanted to be a writer. Luckily, Mom was supportive.
I've been a published author for a few years now, under different names and genres, but the thought of writing about a small coastal town in Oregon, and about its loves and mysteries and holidays and people has been with me for years. To be honest, I am always a bit scared to dump those ideas onto the written page, but hope you'll enjoy getting to meet the people who inhabit my imagination.
In real life, I'm married with kids, live on the West Coast of the US, and own a hobby farm just outside of my favorite small town. I’m a full-time author. I love to travel and can often be found strolling down a windy beach, holding onto the string of a high-sailing dragon kite.
Jam, Jelly and Just Desserts Page 11
